Good leadership. I have been thinking a lot about leadership. What makes one a good leader? What makes someone earn it is through a combination of imitation, trial and error and practice. Yet it is not as easy to assess as other abilities, because leadership can be found in many forms. There is no single standard by which to judge ourselves or others. However, the best leaders (Raila Odinga, Alfred Mutua, Sam Ongeri, the late George Saitoti, Kalonzo Musioka, Simeon Nyachae etc)whom I’ve known do have a few things in common; six in particular stand out: 1) Strictness- a good leader should strict but not to an excess. Otherwise you turn out to be a dictator. Stand firm by your ideologies when they are good and accommodate ideas from your juniors. Be like Magoha and Fr. Wamugunda, you know how strict they are! 2) Vision- good leaders have a vision. Why would you be a leader if you have no vision? What will the people judge your success with? And why would you be a leader with no vision in the first place? 3) Skills- one should have good execution skills. you might have good ideas and a vision, but do you know how to execute them? 4) Vigor- dont lead like a cockroach, or a sheep. be aggressive like Babu Owino, Ngaruiya and not tired like the bishop Zack Kinuthia. Make sure you leave a positive legacy behind. No how to negotiate but when dialog fails remember there are many ways of killing a rat. 5) Humility- be a down to earth leader, like Dubois Maina, Zack Kinuthia, Udochwkwu Christian(the Nigerian) and a few others. Some Mongrels are just too proud. You know them. 6) Positivism- leaders understand that nothing happens for the sake, there are reasons why. Every outcome has a cause. Find out why people are displeased with your leadership. Rectify it immediately. How can we cultivate these characteristics? There are many ways, including training, seeking new experiences, observing others and so on. However, one should also have some traits which always lead to positive results that are commendable. These include but not limited to the following: Be honest in every interaction. Some people are effusive; others are terse. Regardless of style, honesty is the bedrock of a good leader. While it may sound easy, being honest means letting go of your fear of being judged. That can be difficult, and it takes practice. Keep it simple. Great accomplishments happen one step at a time. As a leader, one of your jobs is to simplify complicated processes so that the people around you are more effective. Don’t expect to be thanked for this work; if you do it right, others won’t even be aware that you’ve done it. Nevertheless, it’s crucial for any team. Be sociable, give people reasons to approach you, laugh with you or smile back to you. Dont be gloomy always. Life is not that bad to make you always gloomy. even in hardships thank God because things happen for a reason. If you have ever interacted with Omoke Morara or Benna Mburu(the NUARSA vice Chair)you know what I mean. Don’t take (or give) anything personally. Sometimes others will not be able to help you, or your interests will clash with theirs. This is normal, and there’s no need for frustration or resentment. An effective leader doesn’t begrudge others following their own interests, even when it presents obstacles. This is where I condemn acts of some leaders (or aspiring) attacking others. For why? George Okemwa is a first year student at THE University of Nairobi doing Economics and Statistics. He is a member of SONU and ECOSA(obviously)
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 06:23:10 +0000