INTRODUCTION
In the, the concept of leadership is multifaceted and
it will be too obtuse for this assignment to focus at all the various dynamics
and facets of leadership. Although I will try to touch political public sector
leadership that enable national transformation as opposed to private sector or
informal leadership. We will consider how quality leadership can give rise to
national transformation. We will also explore the proposition that Nigeria needs
transformational leadership as a key mobilize of national development and how
if properly harness and harvested leeds to greatness.
This paper will therefore seek to
reiterate the special value this kind of leadership brings to national
transformation. To transform, literally speaking is “to give a different form
to or change the character of or to alter the nature of something”. So, for us
in Nigeria, transformation will mean that we must change from what we are used
to, to something different, something new. This process of change cannot be
easy one. In Nigeria, we have our definition of what political power must be
and how those in positions of authority must behave. For instance, to come away
to us in Nigerian as a president, the individual must be hand, loud, tough and
possess the capacity to whip men into line and have his way in all situations.
LEADERSHIP AS FELLOWSHIP
Leadership is mostly associated with
individuals even though no individual alone leads a nation. It’s important to
stress that the effective exercise of leadership function in form of setting a
vision, developing an agenda and mobilizing resources is at the heart of
transformation management. In this sense leadership presupposes fellowship.
President Eisenhower of the United States once defined leadership as the
“ability to decide what is to be done and then to get others to want to do it.”
President Harry Truman put it more pungently when he said, “A leader is a man
who has the ability to get other people to do what they don’t want to do, and
like it”. These two leaders of the United States of America perceived
leadership in terms of a man’s ability to manage men in such a way as to get
certain results willingly (even if initially they had any doubts). Now, let us
examine this conception of leadership a little bit because it dovetails to the
overreaching leadership value that this paper considers as enabling national
transformation.
Transformational leadership evolves
from two presuppositions. First, it presupposes that the leader has emerged
with the necessary tool to succeed, as he is necessarily equipped with man
management ability. This must be non negotiable. Secondly, it also presupposes
that the desire of the leader is in tandem with the interest of the followers
therefore the ultimate outcome will be a development. These cardinal principles
must be fulfilled as minimum requirements. If this is not the case the capacity
to congregate the people and reciprocatively, invoke obedience, will not be a
continun. The challenge in harvesting transformative value out of leadership is
that it is not a happenstance. More often than not this leadership is a product
of a structured forum of regeneration. Even though it many appear spontaneous,
leadership that is effective for transformation is well planned.
TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP
What this means then is that
followership is critical in the formation and development of transformational
leaders. Leadership and folowership are in the mode of the egg and chicken
paradox – they are symbiotically interviewed. The way the character of
leadership is shaped by followership for national transformation is positively
influenced by a culture of responsible followership and vise versa. Put
conversely, the qualities that initiate good followership creates
transformative leadership. Some of these include the expression and enjoyment
of basic rights within a system that is accountable, and is merit driven. Having
said this, it takes transformative leadership to crate the same atmosphere
necessary for the expression of basic right and the enjoyment of good
governance.
A Ghanaian writer Adei once wrote
that “transformative leadership is cause, everything else is effect”. This
statement highlights the prime position of leadership in the development mix.
This is so as development is vision driven, and while leadership, supplies the
vision, it sets in place the think-tank and assures the adoption of a
development agenda so, as a country, Nigeria has had some inspiring leadership.
However, much of it has been short lived, largely unmetered and undervalued due
to lack of mentorship, successional inconsistency and selfishness. For Nigeria
to reach it’s potential, what we require is leadership that is not just
inspirational, but transformational in scope and nationalistic in focus.
THE TRAITS OF TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERSHIP
I, will contend that
transformational leadership will have to go beyond officer. It must take on the
form of a state of mind, to envision, conceive, conceptualize and boldly tackle
challenges with a variety of tools within the context of knowledge, instinct,
institution and impersonality.
This transformational dimension is
hard to put in theoretical sense. You experience it. It is nationalistic not
sectarian, it is egalitarian not class driven, it is universal and bold. It
thinks outside the box, and connects its usefulness in the value it brings to help
individual lives to strive. On a global scale we can easily identifies two
global figures that have in recent times embodied the frame of transformational
leadership in terms of national development. These include former president
Nelson Mandela of South African and the former president of Singapore president
Lee Kuan Yew.
President Lee Kuan Yew inherited a
country without direction and virtually stagnated. But he was drives by his
belief that his country can be transformed. He undertook a review of them
system without too much leadership to political correctness and ideological
trappings, and set out to envision a new country.
He decided to follow a pragmatic,
ideological and specific approach towards economic development that is not
conditioned, by any of the existing dogmas on third world development of the
time. As president Lee rightly remarked, “We learned from the failed policies
of countries such as India, Pakistan, Ghana and Nigeria. Many new nations
believed that the way to property was state planning of economy with socialist
states being seen as models, he said so my strategy was to turn Singapore, a
third world Island, into a first- world oasis, by entrenching the concept of
the rule of law and establishing up-to- date facilities in communications and
transportation” as the necessary artery for connecting people and property to
the economy.
LEADERSHIP AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Make no mistake about it, leadership
skills/styles are environmentally socio-politically, culturally and
economically determined. It is often said that the quality of leadership and
the socio-political environment often determine the nature of national
development. Some people have argued that our socio-political environment, not
only makes the mergence of national leadership difficult, but also complicates
the process of national development. While agreeing in part to this view, I
think that to give it axiomatic status glosses over the mergence of dynamic
leadership. Nigerian from all works of life more than ever before are yearning
that transformation. The solution is that we need to build the culture that
accepts defeat, tolerate and respect losing and manage with humility victory.
An unhealthy and protracted tussling for leadership chokes out the
transformative value of leadership.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, let me say this. We
have allowed too much water under our unity bridge through utterances that do
us no good as a people. Words are very powerful. Effective leaders are very
aware of the impact of their constituents. Given this, if, leaders don’t take charge of their words and
carefully shape their messages, it has the potentials of being misrepresented
by the people. Communication is the greatest tool in the hands of a
transformational leader. Leadership that can transform this country must build
bridge and not walls. Leadership in the business of building bridges to the
future, this requires the breaking down of walls. These walls include walls of
dissent intolerance, sectarian chauvinism, bigotry, nepotistic leadership and
dereliction of merit.
Transformation will always require
the destruction of walls and building of bridges. Out of the best ways to do
this is through effective and regular conversations. Our leaders must learn to
talk more about the change they desire to make. It
must take on the form of a state of mind influential
people and not foisting positions down their throat is useful. We must talk to
all shades of people, students, women, transitional institutions, religious bodies
and others to help shape the message and allow them to take the necessary
action to bring the message to life. Nigeria awaits the emergence of this
leadership for national transformation. My brothers and sisters, ladies and
gentlemen, the time for the transformation is now not tomorrow.
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