Leadership And Its Inevitable Challenges

LEADERSHIP AND ITS INEVITABLE CHALLENGES


Brethren, frankly the inconveniences I personally encountered during my last trip to Calabar in Cross River State was solely my fault. Honestly I learnt a lot of lessons in respect to what transpired that fateful day. Though, I’m not willing to disclose the real nature of the anomaly, but the experience implies that, most of the inconveniences we come across on a daily basis are due to our mistakes.

Of course it’s no longer news that, mistakes are inevitable. In other words, apparently we will continue to witness inconveniences as long as we breathe. Please don’t get me wrong; what I’m saying in essence is that, some harmful challenges we encounter in our respective lives or endeavours are simply unavoidable. I’m just appraising facts.

Come to think of it; who says he’s beyond a mistake? Sincerely I want to use this avenue to unequivocally inform you that, no one who breathes lacks a mistake. We’re all victims to mistakes sometimes, someday, or even every day, irrespective of our statuses or backgrounds. Thus, we must continue to face challenges provided we still inhale air.

Lest I forget; penultimate week, Tuesday precisely, I overhead a certain young man in my neighbourhood lamenting over a certain scenario which had to do with the correction he received from a senior colleague in his place of work. According to him, the colleague told him that he made a mistake in a proposal he submitted for approval. The said neighbour made it clear before his listeners that, he could never make a mistake in his life, stating that, his colleague was just trying to intimidate him thereby making him feel inferior. Imagine how far people can attend while bragging, or whenever they are being corrected.

Well, our topic remains, “Leadership and its inevitable challenges”. Concisely, according to the context of this edition, leadership is the state of being in control of a certain group or organization.

The prime essence of this piece is to remind us of some of the qualities a leader is expected to exhibit regardless of the nature or status of the organization he/she leads.

First and foremost, any leader is expected by his/her subjects or colleagues to be God-fearing. Believe me, apart from a leader, any God-fearing individual cannot think of lying, cheating, stealing, or hating anyone no matter the circumstances surrounding him/her.

Secondly, every leader must have a forgiving heart. He must be willing to forgive anyone who must have hurt him, especially those who cheated him while he was aspiring/contesting for the position.

Thirdly, anyone who calls himself a leader must be tolerant. A tolerant person absorbs any opinion from his colleagues or subjects without minding the nature of the opinion. Therefore, any leader must be willing to accept criticism, either constructive or destructive.

Fourthly, any leader must be courageous. Yes, a leader is expected to wear a bold skin, so that, no circumstances can break him/her. A leader must be ready to withstand any pressure or tension at all times.

Fifthly, every leader is expected to be very observant. He/she must be sensitive enough to know and comprehend every bit of what’s happening around him/her.

More so, any leader must be very careful and conscious. He must mind the kind of action he takes, and must always bite his tongue before he speaks. He must always consider and as well reconsider the consequences of any action he intends to take. He must beware of nemesis or repercussion; he should consistently have it in mind that, whatever goes around will surely come around directly, not indirectly. Yes, the evil that men do live with them, not after them as it’s popularly cited. Carefulness is a very worthwhile virtue in any leadership stride. Let’s ride on!

Inter alia, a leader must have a listening ear. He ought to be willing to gather opinions and information as much as possible. He should never create any limit as regards listening to people’s opinions or complaints.

Anyone who sees himself as a leader must be transparent. He must invariably endeavour to run an open-door policy. He must from time to time disclose to his subjects what his administration has done so far and as well seek direction from anyone. On this note, he must be accountable; accountability ought to remain his watchword.

Above all, every leader is expected to wear a human face in every occasion he finds himself, even if the tempo of the antagonisms from the opposition is extremely high. Needless to say that, a leader is expected to carry everyone along regardless of where the member is coming from. In addition, a leader is expected to be liberal, magnanimous, and generous, but he ought to be strict. Mind you; there is a dichotomy between strictness and wickedness, or lack of magnanimity. Surely, strictness is a welcome idiosyncrasy. Please, meet me for further explanation so you won’t go astray in your presumption.

Lastly, but not the least, any leader must be humble; humility should remain his motto at all costs. He must always turn his back on arrogance. Therefore, he must always be ready to welcome corrections due to his mistakes. Believe me, arrogance which often leads to bragging constantly brings or contributes to the downfall of any man, knowingly or unknowingly. I also want to let you know that, there’s a contrast between pride (ego) and arrogance; pride is worthwhile. To be frank, one without pride is worthless. So beware! Please, kindly mail me for details.

Having noted the qualities of a leader or any leadership that are worthy of emulation, we must also note that, there’re some certain inevitable challenges that invariably accompany any leadership, be it social, political, religious, or what have you. These are: criticism, antagonism, fanaticism, extremism, hypocrisy, sycophancy, death, envy, and human insatiable nature.

Criticism must surface in any administration; it’s as old as the world. Don’t forget that, a criticism may be constructive or destructive. Whatever the case might be, a leader must be willing and ready to accommodate any criticism. Mind you, constructive criticisms are worthwhile!

Also, antagonism or envy are always witness in any leadership. The gesture is mostly exhibited by those who wish to occupy the position of the present leader, and they’re often tagged “the opposition”.

Fanaticism or extremism are not left out; they can be showcased by any member of the administration or any of the subjects. It has to do with what one’s individual self strongly believes in. Thus, he/she would continue to stick to that ideology thereby constituting an unfavourable and unhealthy circumstance to the administration. Surely, any leader must be ready to encounter such attributes.

Hypocrisy or sycophancy are other gestures a leader must receive from members of his/her administration or any of his subjects. Most grievously, sometimes people/someone may impersonate the leader in order to gain favour or obtain their selfish wants, at the expense of the healthiness of the administration.

Furthermore, due to human insatiable nature, most of the accomplishments of a certain leader may not be appreciated by some/most of his subjects. Suffice to say; to the sight of those in question, the leader hasn’t done anything yet to their delight. This is a challenge every leader must be prepared to experience because it’s also inevitable.

Above all, death is a grievous experience that often seem to cripple any administration; whenever it occurs, it appears as if the leadership cannot function properly again. For instance, a staunch and reliable member of a certain administration may kick the bucket when his/her services or opinions are mostly needed. Such anomaly will definitely weigh the leader down, thereby crippling his/her administration. We must all know that death is inevitable, therefore, must always be willing to accept its hurt or the vacuum it might create. Even if one dies as a leader, there must be a substitute; this is a bitter fact we must all bear in mind.

At this juncture, I urge every leader, including the potential ones, to acknowledge the fact that he/she remains the Moses of the organization he leads. Thus, must bear in mind that, he must surely lead them to the promise-land. Any result less than this would be seen as an aberration.

Don’t forget, mistakes made by a leader are often the sole cause of the challenges mentioned above. Though mistakes are inevitable, but mind you, the level of mistakes made by someone can be controlled or minimized if only he becomes extremely careful. Therefore, carefulness summarizes everything.

Meanwhile, challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes it meaningful. Think about it!

_______________________

FRED NWAOZOR

frednwaozor@gmail.com