Leadership: A Journey of Continuous Growth

You were born to lead. Whether or not you have a formal leadership platform, you have the primary responsibility to guide yourself in the right direction. But how are you investing in your leadership capacity? You may grow and find yourself in a leadership position by virtue of age, socioeconomic status, years of service and technical competency but does that actual makes you a leader?

During my visits to Lagos, I developed a deep interest in learning about leadership from Dr. Sam Adeyemi at Daystar Christian Centre. When his new book, "Dear Leader", was released in 2023, I knew it was a must-read for 2024. After several visits, I finally got my hands on a hard copy. Reading it felt like finding a rare treasure.

?Dr. Sam Adeyemi beautifully captures the essence of leadership. He asserts, "Leadership is a skill anyone can learn. Leaders serve and influence others for the greater good, guiding teams, families, organizations, and nations to achieve great goals. By using the tools in this book, you can sharpen your skill set, activate your core values, and become an innovative and inspiring leader."

Today's workplace is challenged with a mixed of multi-generations with different approaches to work and problem solving, the older generation seem uncertain as to how to maximize the capacity of the younger generation and their personality differences at the same time. Chapter four of Dear Leader - Leadership success in a Multi-Generational Workplace provides clear cut solutions to this dilemma. Smart leaders would build bridges and get over the generational divide. "ACROSS ALL THE GENERATIONS THERE IS AS MUCH FOR EACH OF US TO LEARN AS THERE IS TO TEACH OTHERS- Dr Sam Adeyemi.

"Dear Leader" is a must-read for everyone.

Another transformative book is "Principle-Centered Leadership" by Stephen R. Covey. Covey emphasizes character, integrity, vision, and continuous learning as the cornerstones of effective leadership. He addresses how to balance work and family life and create a culture of change, flexibility, and continuous improvement.

?For practical insights, "Leadership Gold" by John C. Maxwell offers 26 principles gleaned from over 40 years of leadership experience. Highlights include:

If It’s Lonely at the Top, You’re Not Doing Something Right: Successful leaders build relationships and help others achieve success.

The Toughest Person to Lead Is Always Yourself: Leading yourself well means holding yourself to a higher standard.

The Best Leaders Are Listeners: Listening builds trust and improves relationships.

A Leader’s First Responsibility Is to Define Reality: Leaders must maintain realistic outlooks and address consequences.

To See How the Leader Is Doing, Look at the People: Healthy leaders inspire confidence in their followers.

The Harvard Business Review on Leadership is another masterpiece, featuring 10 insightful articles on effective leadership practices. One standout article, "Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?" by Robert Goffee and Gareth Jones, explores the unexpected qualities of inspirational leaders, such as showing vulnerability and managing with tough empathy.

Reflect on your leadership journey:

Are you leading yourself well?

Do you desire to lead others?

Are you in a leadership position, and are you leading effectively?

How are you investing in your growth as a leader?

Let's engage and share how we can become better leaders. #LeadershipJourney #SelfGrowth #DearLeader #PrincipleCenteredLeadership #LeadershipGold #HBRLeadership

?Dr. Ochedomi DE

3rd July 2024