Youngstars Foundation

A Visionary Leader: The Saviour Nigeria Needs
Introduction

“I personally believe that the truest and best leaders were those who lead from the heart and who followed their own values”. Leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Jesse Jackson, George Washington, Andrew Carnegie and many others were truthful, sincere, self-sacrificing and selfless leaders who sort the interests of those they led rather than seeking their own comfort. These great leaders who at a time were presidents of their country had visions and they pursued it vehemently without any compromise but in accordance to their own spiritual, moral and personal beliefs despite intense oppositions, rejection, failure, and even personal hardship. These are the qualities and values my President in Nigeria must have in 2011 and the reasons for these are the focus of this essay.

The Concept of Leadership

The concept of leadership in any given quota or sector have been defined and considered in many ways. While some believe that great leaders are born not made, others vice-versa. However, this is no the essence of this essay. Amy Potavin defines leadership as “A person who by force of example, talents, or qualities plays a directing role, wield commanding influence, or has following in any sphere of activity or thought”. Neale Donald Walsch writes that, ‘A true leader is not the one with the most followers, but one who creates the most leaders. Jack Welch defines a leader as someone who knows that “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others’. For instance, Richard C. Stazesky extensively described George Washinghton, the first American President as “As a Charismatic, energetic, courageous, ambitious, affectionate with exemplary character, temperament, and an admirer of the populace at all levels of society. The most commonly cited characteristics given for his emergence as the supreme leader are his character and a genius in the area of leadership”.

The Qualities and Values My President come 2011 Must Have

After a thorough evaluation of great past leaders with deep consultation of books written on them and other relevant articles written about leadership, I came with these qualities and values that my President come 2011 must have in Nigeria. These qualities and values are Visionary, Honesty, Credibility and Trust, Ability to Motivate Others, Willingness to accept mistakes and Correction, Dedication and Discipline, Charismatic Ability and Consensus Building.

Visionary/ Ability to Motivate Others:The visionary leader, primarily, has very clear, encompassing and far-reaching vision concerning the cause or organization involved. This vision includes ideas and goals that remain constant no matter how long it takes to realize them and regardless of the difficulties, which the leader encounters. The visionary leader is skillful in designing and creating an organizational culture that will make possible the attainment of the leader’s vision and ideas. A Visionary leader is a person who can attract others to follow him/her in seeking attainment of the vision. But more than that, this charismatic person is able to instill in others the ideas, beliefs and values of the vision so that they become empowered to move beyond the leader’s their own expectations. In order to lead and set direction a leader needs to appear confident as a person and in the leadership role.

Honesty (Credibility and Trust): This Nigerian president must be honest, trustworthy, and credible. According to Stazesky, people trusted George Washington because he had demonstrated a noble and incorruptible character and he also shown himself to be an exceptional leader. A good leader should be commendable, trustworthy so that people can follow him/her and exemplary. He /she should live his life with honesty and integrity. Successful presidential leadership has always depended on a presidential administration’s credibility and the public’s trust in a president’s word. ‘Trust is the coin of the realm,’ said George Schultz, secretary of 2 state during the Reagan administration. Presidents have lost their credibility in either of two ways: by breaking with accepted standards of national governance or by promising more than they could deliver. He/she must be ready to declare the state of the nation’s treasury at any point in time.

Dedication and Discipline: A good leader believes in discipline. He/she follows an orderly manner and routine but still he/she is tolerant. He/she has excellent logical and analytical skills of tackling issues and every other aspects of the situation before arriving to any decision. His/her excellent logical and analytical skills drive him to being proactive and committed to excellent; maintaining high standard and acts as an idol for his/her followers. His/her personal and public life both are remarkable and stain free. He/she inspires his/her team to achieve target and lead them to success. Willingness to Admit Mistakes and ability to listen are others qualities of a good leader.

Charismatic Ability: Dallek said, “The most successful presidents have also been larger-than-life figures, actors on the stage of history with an uncommon capacity to bring drama to the office”. Presidents have succeeded and failed in proportion to their effectiveness in making strong use of this power to become popular figures. The most capable have been able to reduce the distance between themselves and the people by diminishing the impersonality of the office, or by using their personal appeal to excite public interest and affection.

Consensus Building: Vision, pragmatism, charisma, and trust have all been put in the service of building a national consensus for a president’s leadership. America’s most astute presidents have understood how vital a broad consensus is to any far-reaching domestic or foreign policy. They have also appreciated how fickle and unreliable the public mood has been, and how difficult it can be to get the nation to support a presidential proposal, especially if it represented a departure from customary patterns. In brief, the visionary leader has a vision into the future, can develop an effective organization and can attracts others to strive also for the attainment of his/her vision so that it becomes a shared vision and they all work together in an organization that sustains the vision its beliefs and its values. He /she give people voice and direction.

WHY? For effective leadership and great achievement, a visionary leader with all these qualities is needed. For long, we have been gambling with the issue of leadership in Nigeria. I think it is high time this gambling stopped. Every sector in Nigeria needs the touch of a visionary and unrelenting leader who can breathe life and be what Thomas Carlyle, the Scottish historian and essayist referred as “a captain of industry”. Someone that will be ready to take responsibility in order to achieve the essence of his/her administration which must be to better the lots of the Nigerians. Furthermore, for Nigeria to take her place back in Africa and the world at large, a visionary leader must be elected as the President of this nation regardless of gender. In terms of corruption, selfishness in government and in leadership, Nigeria has a resounding position. This singular act accounts for high rate of unemployment among the youths, which lead to high rate of criminal activities, lack of basic amenities, backward educational system, low health care facilities, terrorism, crises and many other acts that sum what is called ‘bad governance’. For us to tackle all these ‘fables’, Nigerians need an effective leader. William A. Ward said, “Blessed is the person who sees the need, recognizes the responsibility, and actively becomes the answer”. This is the kind of president that I and every other Nigerian must have come 2011.

References
Dallek, Robert. “President of the United States.” Microsoft® Student 2008 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2007. Richard C. Stazesky George Washington, Genius in Leadership (A Presentation made by Reverend Richard C. Stazesky at a meeting on February 22, 2000 of The George Washington Club, Ltd, Wilmington, Delaware. )

http://gwpapers.virginia.edu.articles/stazesky.html

http://ezineardarcles.com/?Ten-Qualities-of-a-Goood-Leader&id=2468413

http://www.groco.com/readingroom/bus_goodleader.aspx

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/qualities-of-a-good-leader-3898.html

www.teamtechnology.co.uk/leadership-qualities.html

http://searchcio.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid182_gci1007327,00.html
(All accessed on June 26, 2010)