Leadership Bubble

A popular Yoruba (Yoruba is a language spoken in sub-Saharan Africa) anecdote metaphorically describes a self-centred leader who browbeats colleagues in the workplace with exaggerated strategic skills as “the leader who rides on an illusory powerful horse” without being conscious of the fact that its (the horse’s) weight can be likened to that of a cockroach.

The ethos or fundamental values of a leader should begin with acknowledging his strengths and blind spots (or weaknesses).

A leader wins with the team. Collaboration over individualism defines success in the corporate world. Leaders should be careful never to be swept away by power and fame.

Vulnerability is not weakness, stigma or taboo. Nobody is perfect. Nobody knows all the answers. Leaders make mistakes. They do wrong things. They say wrong things.

Leaders must however, learn from mistakes. Failure is life trying to redirect your path. Do not be a victim of that infallible foresight or that misleading notion that leaders do not make mistakes.

As a well-tested businessman and proven entrepreneur, I have faced uncertainties, negative portrayals, risks and struggles. These experiences have proved clearly to me that they are lessons to be learnt, stepping stones to greater successes and springboards to value-assuring transformation. Navigating through uncertainties and weathering very challenging storms are refining processes and tests of resilience.

The leader gains perceptive insight from these experiences, which are non-linear because they do not follow logic. You must find the steps in yourself as a leader who is aware and proud of his strengths but never afraid of his weaknesses. These experiences of resilience, deliver to you introverted intuition, which, on a daily basis, differentiates you as a thoroughbred leader who works smarter, move things forward, make things happen and get things done.

Several years ago, I was invited by the Lagos Business School to deliver an intellectual paper at its breakfast special meeting for leaders of Nigeria’s banking industry, top economic officials of the diplomatic corps and business gurus. The topic was “Restructuring the Nigerian Insurance Industry: Will it complete the Financial Sector Loop?”

Of course, I did justice to the paper but what was the fall out? The short but instructive lecture became a prompt for top leaders of Nigeria’s banking industry to revive their comatose insurance departments. Some even created new insurance departments in their establishments and the result, my organisation almost totally lost control of its greatest source of inflow, motor insurance. We sought and considered multiple perspectives for new decisions from team members. We won!

The leader is the captain of other stars in his organisation. He must regularly tap into the profound impact of humility, trust, genuine connections and teamwork. Collaboration is engendering and promoting professional relationship within the organisation. The leader must encourage opposing views and dissenting opinions. There must be relational transparency with colleagues. This must be unfiltered and must create adequate accommodation for vulnerability. The leader must be “real” with his team members and should occasionally share with them stories of challenges and failures. He should regularly use this window to demonstrate vulnerability and transparency. He is the moral compass that is constantly guiding and in alignment with the values of his organisation.

The leader’s multiple successes must shine brighter than the metrics. He must always inspire the team to generate ideas and co-create.

Our LBS experience “gave birth” to very creative ideas and actions. My company with the support of our American partners started selling the popular brands of cars with full comprehensive insurance policies and even tailor-made life assurance for those who bought the cars with lease arrangements.

We also successfully graduated into an outcome-based partnership with the Nigeria’s Airports Car Hires Association (ACHAN) and supplied taxicabs (with lease arrangement and tailor-made life assurance) to all the airports in Nigeria. We collaborated with Lagos and Ekiti state governments for supply and fleet management of mass transit buses. Let me also mention the “miracle” of Liberia. As a result of the country’s tortuous civil war, there was no public transportation whatsoever. We stepped in and shipped knocked-down parts of motorcycles. We assembled them there and sold them to Liberian citizens with the support of their government.

Please note that even science and technology thrive on experimenting and growing knowledge by learning from mistakes. Vulnerability is the catalyst for growth and development. That is why leaders must broaden their focus and embrace multifaceted and multi-dimensional approach to decision-making.

An “authentic” leader starts his daily activities with self-reflection. He learns from mistakes and acknowledges as well as work with the talents and gifts of his colleagues. He creates a work environment that promotes trust, resilience and meaningful change.

The leader must always own up to not knowing everything. He must find answers by listening to the “collective voice”, his team. His determination and courage for excellence must propel him to protect his team and be transparent to the members. There is a coaching guide for leaders. He must recognise the potential of his team members. He must help them become better versions of themselves. Colleagues must recognise their strengths but not get complacent. They must also vividly see their weaknesses but not get discouraged. A leader must build people up, never tear them down.

Leaders should not just provide technical solutions in order to showcase expertise. Running a successful organisation is about people, not just problems.

The human capital is the foundational differentiating value in an organisation. Your people are the “value” not only in productivity but also in the profitability loop. The leader must understand them as much as the problems.

Energy, vibrancy, passion, talent and skills must run side-by-side with emotional resilience and emotional vulnerability.

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