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Nigerian Presidential Villa (Reception)
Many a best seller book offer valuable advice on leadership and leadership qualities. Some even crystallize some characteristics or habits of successful leaders for those interested in emulating them (e.g. The Seven Habits of Successful Leaders). While they are also valuable in the quest for defining and recognizing those people who may be better leaders in any given situation, to the scholars of management, such books offer maxims (Hughes, Ginnett & Curphy, 2002). Maxims are someone’s personal opinion that offers valuable advice about a subject matter. The scientific alternative to leadership maxims is leadership theory. A leadership theory is based on tested and retested ideas about leadership that have consistently come true so as to be accepted as applicable facts. In the science of leadership, some process is mandated to make sure that the result of the study is acceptable as scientific fact. Though both leadership maxims and leadership theories are useful for the understanding of the complexities of leadership, in general only theories contribute to a body of knowledge concerning the science of leadership. In short just buying and reading some of those books about leadership habits and traits do not cut it. While useful, do not put all your bet on a book, you should know there are other alternatives that provide proven leadership aspects out there.
Power
What about power? Scholars define power as “The capacity to produce effects on others” (House, 1984); or else the potential to influence others (Bass, 1990). Legitimate leadership has to be empowered through some process. Whereas power is the capacity to cause change, influence is defined by scholars as the degree of actual change in a target person’s attitudes, values, beliefs and behaviors. In our quest for defining leadership, its potential and finding who should lead, how do we identify the ones who possess the right qualities? In doing so it is essential to find out the basis of that power. In short before we choose a leader, we need to dig into his or her background to find the basis, and decide for ourselves whether the basis of that power provides the individual enough backing and resources for being productive in the position he is aspiring to occupy. Apart from being certified productive we may also find out if the person is willing to do the job the right way as expected, based on personality. These are two different things. For example, being the most gifted banker intellectually does not qualify a renowned thief to hold a position of trust in a bank. Let us look again at some of those foundations of power.
Scholars of management and administration (Ravens, 1959) classified the basis of power into five (5); Expert power, Referent power, Legitimate power, Reward power and Coercive power. Expert power is backed by knowledge. A surgeon may for example exert considerable influence in a hospital because other employees and professionals depend on his knowledge, skill and also judgment, though in reality he or she may not have any formal authority over them, in short they may not be answerable to him administratively. Expert power is a function of the amount and quality of knowledge one person possesses relative to the rest of the group members. Referent power refers to the raw potential influence one has over the rest of the group, in a given situation. Other group members have acknowledged this position in some way, which may have grown over time. Legitimate power on the other hand is formal and officially conferred on one through some laid down process. Reward power is the potential to influence others due to ones control over some desired resources, for example the power to give raises, bonuses, positions, appointments and promotions. Coercive power is self explanatory. One who wields coercive power influences the followers’ action through fear of punishment or loss of valued outcome; or denial of position, appointment or promotion.
Conclusion
In light of the above, it will greatly benefit each community to stand up and make sure that their candidates for offices at the local, state and federal level are all people of repute with ample qualification for the offices. And that they have what it takes based on all the above identified criteria; personality-wise, track record wise (background experience), educational and knowledge wise, and that they have both the moral aptitude plus the strength needed to check unnecessary embezzlement and waste. Finally the electorate should demand that they have already exhibited the trustworthiness aspect in some previous positions i.e. the consciousness and moral aptitude to feel that they are humble servants of all the people that have elected them. And that they have the capacity to hold that trust, knowing that the electorates look up to them to safeguard and protect their lives and property, and also better their lives and that of their children.
Frankly, the situation is not as hopeless as people might think. If every community at the local government level where their families reside and their influence is greater decide to organize to ensure that only the reputable, able and qualified contest one against the other; then whoever emerge should be the best among them and therefore the most qualified to represent them. With such changes at grassroots level, those who eventually make it to the federal level will represent them well and make sure their voices are heard. And people at the helm of governance at Abuja will be forced to listen. This is not a choice, but a requirement, to rise up to the challenge and better the lot of your people and community. With the abysmal level situations have reached, no one expects changes to happen by themselves without a vibrant followership or electorate that are proactive to situations that have plagued them. It has to start from those who feel the pain of leadership the most. For those of us who are Muslims, we do know that Almighty Allah Himself says in Suratul Ra’d (Quran 13:11) “Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.”
Ref:
- Roach, C. F, & Behling, O. (1984). Leaders and managers: International perspectives on managerial behavior and leadership. Edited by J. G. Hunt et al. New York: Pergamon.
- Danzig, A., and Porter, C. (1998). Can leadership be taught? What is learned from writing and analyzing the stories of education leaders. 1998 Yearbook of the National Council of Professors of School Administration. Economics Press.
- Hughes, R., Ginnett, R., & Curphy, G. (2002). Leadership: Enhancing
the Lessons of Experience (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
4. Bass, R. (1984). The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications. New York: Simon and Schuster.
- French, J. R. P., Raven, B. The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright and A. Zander (Eds.), (1959) Group dynamics. New York: Harper & Row.
Hadiza Wada (DBA)
August 29, 2009
As Nigerians move along towards 2011, less than two years to elections, everyone should give ample time to discussing how to elect effective leaders. Leadership makes a great difference in the life of a nation and its people. It is a subject matter that has captured the attention of many intellectuals for centuries. The art of nomination and candidacy is something that should ordinarily be the arena of the governed and the concern of everyone, as it starts the process of representation from local, state, up to federal levels. In Nigeria, it is especially important that people learn and apply better techniques of influencing the process so they could continue to improve the clique of leaders that emerge to run the country. To identify better leaders we have to go as far back as defining leadership itself, then see who it is that fit that definition better.
Scholars of Management and Administration will tell you that leadership is a process and not a position. The premise is; leadership can only exist with the availability of followers. Among the many definitions of leadership that manifests this premise, is “The process of influencing an organized group towards accomplishing goals” (Roach and Behling, 1984). By such definition, one understands that the difference between chaos – defined as a situation of breakdown of law and order – and a smooth running operation, is organization and leadership. But equally important are the followers without whom the question of leadership will not even arise. A third and final arm is situation i.e. some common interest or need that makes the people (followers) feel they need a leader. Leadership in the social sciences therefore, is understood to be a process involving three arms; a leader, followers and situation. To illustrate the three definitional segments, let us look at just one leadership style:
Inspirational Leadership
Inspirational leaders often emerge when a society is in some dire situation or a state of hopelessness. They then inspire the community through their gift of eloquence of speech and power of words. Some of such leaders include Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and a host of others who emerged during the civil rights movement in the United States to lead their communities to greater freedom. They inspired their communities to rise up, so they could lead them out of their existing situation. In applying the premise of leadership definition, the situation (racial oppression and discrimination) existed well before Reverend King (Christian) and Minister X (Muslim) were born. The followers, mainly the black and African American communities nationwide, were also present well before the two began their movement or organization against the established system that they found oppressive. But these inspirational leaders possessed the ability to stir the emotional side of their people to such a level that their followers felt empowered with an attitude and the zeal for demanding a way out of their oppressive situation.
Inspirational leaders do not usually aspire to hold political offices, and may not necessarily make good political leaders because their background is religious and not political. But they do contribute significantly in stirring a great multitude of the people to be active participants in shaping their destiny. They force the ruling class or party to listen and measure up. What contributed significantly to the success of Malcolm and Martin for example is their religious backgrounds that provided some moral, ethical and spiritual bearing. Because their message is backed by the manifest truth of religion, the politicians know better than to confront and challenge them directly. They had to find alternative and covert ways of silencing them, and both suffered the same fate ultimately. But politicians need some degree of inspirational leadership also, to be able to attract and keep some followers. In the words of Ted Turner the founder of CNN “It is hard to be a leader unless you have some kind of passion for something … Inspiration and passion usually go together. If you are going to try to persuade others to go with you, it certainly doesn’t hurt that you’ve got very strong conviction about where you are going. Like Columbus did, for instance, to discover the new world. And, if you got passion and conviction, you are more likely to be inspired. If you are inspired yourself and passionate about something, you are more likely to succeed at it, and you are more likely to get others to come with you.”
The Various Aspects of Leadership Potential
So while some believe that leaders are born with a propensity for leadership, and some are gifted to inspire the people and lead, to the scholars of management and administration that is only a fraction of the truth, for they consider leadership both an art and a science. They stress that while scholarship may not be a prerequisite for leadership effectiveness, understanding some of the major research findings can help leadership better analyze situations, using a variety of perspectives available to them. In short scholars of management and administration believe both knowledge (learned) and the practical exercise of leadership in the past (experience) and also leadership qualities (personality profile and leadership traits) contribute to a greater extent to leadership success. It appears from this that Nigerians seem to prefer assessing just the personality. “I think he is a good person, so I will consent to his candidacy.” That alone is not enough a screening for someone that will impact your life and that of your children, and even your aging parents and extended family for the upcoming four to eight years. It is essential that communities and voters assess a candidate’s background as to knowledge (education), and experience in either government or private practice; making inferences as to what applicable experience he might have acquired from such a job or profession. Finally – and that does not mean the least important of all - they assess his personal character.
A person being likable or “good” does not automatically mean that he or she has what it takes to check plunder and abuse of office, a major cause of concern in Nigerian governance. That requires additional conviction and the guts to establish and maintain the necessary checks in place to arrest embezzlement and prosecute those who managed to outsmart the rules for their personal gains. Being good and of good nature does not also mean the person could run a government including tracking and making wise use of your state or federal resources. Relevant track record from past services is essential and extremely important. If those qualities are also present, then good character is adequately backed by conviction and action. “Leaders do the right thing. They choose character. Leaders avoid shortcuts where ethics are abbreviated. They calibrate the consequences of their actions and send that clear message to their associates. … Leaders set the example. They cultivate commitment and inspire admiration and respect for the institutional values...” (Danzig, 1998)
Another person who is also recognized as one of those who have exhibited and earned respect in the field of leadership says “it is a matter of great concern to me that the modern slogan for the pursuit of happiness and success has become “knowledge is power.” It is my hope for planet earth that the leaders of the twenty first century adopt the slogan “Integrity is power.” We dare not the explosive development of science and technology obliterate the development of character as the driving force for man’s behavior.” - General Robert McDermott, USA.
Leadership qualities go a long way in defining a person in position of leadership. Such qualities include, being innovative, inspirational, or possessing vision and foresight. Leaders are prone to taking on new unforeseen challenges without hesitation and applying various strategies to effectively overcome them. Not to be confused with management, leadership is found to be more flexible, innovative and open to changes and challenges, while managers are more identified with qualities such as controlling, strict application of explicit and tacit organizational norms and rules, maintenance of status quo and the like. Managers in short run a unit in compliance with orders and expectations from their executives. In fact in Nigerian situation, I have seen more managerial traits than those of leadership in many highly placed political office holders who have been elected into positions of leadership, and that should not be the case. A leader with no vision and innovative ideas and solutions to the unique challenges in his domain generally turns out to be oppressive, for he “manages” situation as they arise in order to please others. No long-term and innovative ideas and solutions are pursued. To compound matters, such a leader forces his immediate staff to be zombies, following his whims, with no justifiable rationale. That is one of the main reasons why today most elected leaders in Nigeria cannot ascend the podium and proudly describe their achievements.
