Leadership means different things to different people; to some it has to do with ones position and authority (ruler ship), while to other it means influence and service. The Oxford Advance Learners dictionary defines “lead” as to show somebody the way, by being in front. That is to say leadership is about being ahead of others. Also Benjamin Dankaka belief’s that “leadership is the ability of an individual to exert control over his/her life for the purpose of creating change that would attract, benefit and motivate others towards a shared goal”. It is also important to re-emphasis that leadership is not only about position, title, authority and popularity. It is all about influence and using it to bring about change and progress, service and providing solutions. The major problem bringing about retrogression not just in Kurama land but in Nigeria as a whole; is lack of the adoption and exertion of the right leadership qualities in our daily endeavors. This takes us to the next questions of the three kinds of leadership we have: SELF-LEADERSHIP This has to do with self management and development, that is to say one has to take responsibility for all his/her actions. As the saying goes “you cannot change the world unless you change yourself first”. That is why I agree with John Maxwell when he posited “that the key to leading yourself well is to learn self management”. CAREER/PROFESSIONAL- LEADERSHIP This has to do with taking responsibility for ones career or profession; it also has to do a lot with building ones potential, talent and skills through capacity building. This would enable you to get a lot of influence in your chosen field of endeavor. PEOPLE-LEADERSHIP This has to do with taking responsibility for other peoples lives and career, by building interest in others and influencing them positively. This type of leadership occurs in governance, community groups, homes and associations. The next step in understanding leadership is to discuss the major qualities that any leadership should have for the sake of lack of space we would be discussing only three: VISION Any leadership that wants to succeed it must have a vision, in order to set up a target that would bring about positive change and progress for self, career and people. Vision is having a clear mental picture of an ideal future; that is, having a target or goal and also having the plan to achieving it. People perish not only for lack of knowledge but also for lack of vision. Vision usually begins with one person, but it is accomplished by many people. PASSION It has to do with having unconditional love for your occupation or endeavor. It is passion that brings out the action in any vision, and also makes one to take action no matter the risk or challenges involved. Passion attracts people due to the enthusiasm of the leadership. INTEGRITY It gives leaders credibility, his followers are able to trust him/her, and it is about having a reputation for honesty and sincerity. It should be noted that all leaders need to have a vision and should also employ passion to achieve their goals with integrity. It is in this light that Vince Lambardi stated that “leaders are not born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else through hard work. And that’s the price we have to pay to achieve our goal (success in leadership)”. It is however advisable that all Kurama people must aspire to leadership irrespective of what they do and where they are in life. The questions we should asks our leaders is, what have you done before now in influencing our lives positively, so that we can use it as a criteria whether to vote for them or not. Before discussing the links between leadership and Kurama unity, it would also be significant to understand what unity is. Unity can be defined as the process of being united in order to achieve a set target or goal. Unity does not mean total agreement or uniformity, it means existing in an atmosphere of understanding and peace, which usually result in progress, growth and development. Going back to the main issue, everyone should ask him/herself the following question; • How have I contributed to the unity, growth and development of the Kurama nation? • Am I part of the problem bringing about disunity within the Kurama nation? • What can I do as a leader to ensure the unity, growth and development of the Kurama nation? Leadership is all about influence and service, not about positions and titles, so one does not need to have a position or title before taking the lead in bringing about unity and development in Kurama land. At all times we as leaders must endeavor to contribute through positive means to encourage the unity in Kurama land. Accusing or trading blames within ourselves would never solve the issue of disunity, but if as individuals we come together to propagate and encourage unity in Kurama land in order to bring about peace, progress, growth and development. You cannot separate leadership from learning, so as Kurama youths, we must engage ourselves in productive activities such as getting educated, reading, becoming self employed, political participation, engaging in sporting activities, attending capacity building programs, and so on. The question to ask is how do we use leadership to bring about Kurama unity, they include: • Having passion towards the unity, growth and development of Kurama land. • Having a vision on how to bring about unity, growth and development. • Take the lead in contributing (ideas, time and cash) positively to unity, growth and development. • Take the lead in building trust and cohesion among the Kurama people • Avoid being used as elements of disunity and negative conflict. • Excel in any endeavor that you find yourself doing with integrity and honesty, in areas such as academics, career, profession, agriculture, vocational skill and craftsmanship. • Attitudinal change towards the Kurama nation (becoming change agents). With the few factors mentioned above we can use leadership to bring about unity, growth and development in Kurama land. What are the possible advantages of unity through leadership in Kurama land; they include but are not limited to: • Bringing about peace and stability. • Bring about cooperation within the people. • Bringing about progress, growth and development. • Bringing about conflict resolution management and resolution. • Bring respect and recognition to the land. At this point, I would like to use this avenue to call on all and also challenge all Kurama descendants to rise up to their leadership responsibility in taking the lead in ensuring that they build sustainable unity within the Kurama people.
Posted on: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 18:49:25 +0000
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