Leadership happens every day whether we are aware of it or not. “Influence” is the key word in leadership. Leadership is the ability to influence one or more people to achieve goals. Leadership is not just about occupying a position; so, every human being has potential to lead. The old philosophy that says only few people can lead and every other person are born to follow is not true. The truth is that we are influencing people every day. It is not only when you occupy position of power that you are a leader and that is why many of us have signed off from the leadership process. Leadership happens at different levels without us being conscious of it. Teachers have influence over their students; parents have influence over their children and friends have influence on one another. We can see that we exert influence on one another every day and that is what leadership is about. We have to cultivate and use our influence intentionally to create the desired change in our society. When we use our influence intentionally, we are making the world better every single day

Leadership is not a day’s job, but a daily job. Leadership is both a science and an art. Leadership skills are developed and cultivated over a period of time. Many people wait until they have opportunity to lead before they start developing their leadership skills and that is why there is leadership failure.

Leadership skills can be learned and honed through conscious effort. This involves continuous learning, self-awareness and actively seeking opportunities to practice and refine leadership behaviours. Lack of leadership skill is a major issue we see in government bodies and companies. They are a lot of title leaders, but real leaders are few. Few people prepare for leadership before the opportunity comes. Becoming a good athlete requires consistent effort and dedication to training. It is not just about natural talent; it is about developing skills, strength and endurance through structured practice and proper training methodologies. To lead better, you will have to follow the process of becoming a leader. Christ module of leadership is in Mark 3:13-15 and the process includes that we must first be with Him and partner with Him before we go out to perform. The rule is that you stay through the process of leadership before you step out.

You do not become a leader overnight, it requires you go through process to lead better.

To lead better, you need to be self-aware of who you are. Self-awareness entails identifying where you excel and where you should grow and when your leadership excels, your company’s productivity tends to follow. Self-awareness is one quality a leader should have to lead better. Self-awareness is the conscious knowledge of your own character, feelings, motives and desires. When you are self-aware, you get to understand your strengths and weaknesses and you know what helps you to thrive.

The consciousness of your strengths helps you not to waste your time in areas that you are not gifted. It helps you to be productive because you learn to invest your time in what is most important to you. The call to leadership is about challenging the status quo and not being traditional. Our ambition should not be to become what has been. We are so committed, especially in Africa in becoming what we used to be that we will never become what we are supposed to be. The call to leadership will compel you to be different. Leaders have a way of pushing against the trend.
• Today’s nugget: Leaders is pushing against the trend. Phone Contact: 07032361509. E-mail: [email protected]. Joel Ejiofor, business coach and strategist