Leading with big ideas

I am a disciple of entrepreneurial leadership with unique penchant for envisioning possibilities, continuous improvement, navigating uncertainties (instead of chickening out), visualising well-being dreams, taking relevant strategic decisions and empowering those around me to take proactive steps.

I do not ever want to be bogged down but “fly” above the usual anxiety of leaders in their role as drivers of desirable performance. Honed leadership must always showcase remarkable skill and competence in shaping legacy with everyday actions.

A leader must be clear about where he is going and adequately communicate his values to his followers. Leaders drive the value loop. They must seek opportunities for beneficial growth, self improvement and empowerment of team members.

I always stress the need for leaders to engage contextual intelligence in order to create innovative frameworks for daily problem solving and overcoming obstacles in the way of beneficial outcomes. We must turn big ideas into beneficial products and services for customers’ daily usage.

Leaders must also regularly be on top of the value loop as the hub of impact focused ventures and well-being-oriented businesses.

The leader aligns productive energy, purpose and discipline. To maintain value-driven momentum, he must stop wasting energy on validation instead of vision. Purpose must replace noise, and actions must engender progress instead of misguided noise. Distraction must also give way to discipline.

The leader’s gameplan must showcase target steps and priorities-oriented value chain. He must instil a culture of action in the organization. Coherent teams must join hands to promptly identify problems and solve them. Identify issues, discuss impact, navigate challenges and make sure there is constant breakthroughs. The hands-on guide of the leader should be frameworks that ensure that he leads with confidence, courage and clarity instead of confusion.

We must elevate our capabilities as visionary leaders and with determination, breakthrough through limits. We should not just be starring or looking at where we are now but examine ways to move forward. Ideas must be transformed into beneficial doubles and outcomes. Let us deliver beneficial values from relevant technology, skills and experience. Beneficial values must be our goals. Let us take bold steps and make this happen.

Context must shape decisions. Contextual intelligence must become the leader’s handy tool. Leaders can lead effectively and optimally in a context. When we fully grasp the context, we appreciate needs and intentions. We thereby drive efficiency and progress. Let me emphasise that using contextual intelligence as a tool ensures disciplined and effective execution. We achieve the most from resources by innovatively tailoring the resources to needs. We are at the centre of the mix. We can therefore take great decisions and ensure effective collaboration processes, challenge assumptions, open up for likely disruption and ensure innovative change. Our observation or constructive skills are also sharpened, and we identify as well as achieve connection for creative thinking and adaptability. The great leader regularly creates enduring advantage.

Leadership and leading is a developmental process. It seeks for growth and inspires highly beneficial change. The leader inspires, motivates and transforms organisations. To the hardworking and effective leader, limitations and failures are illusions.

I always reiterate that leaders must sharpen reflexes and execution ability. The deafening noise of uncertainty must be silenced. Leaders must be smart and agile. They must always listen to the inner voice and be propelled progressively forward with inner energy. They must do away with pride and choose strategies that are based on intelligent curiosity.

Good character is a fundamental. The conscientious leader is known to be organised, disciplined, achievement oriented, diligent, reliable, with strong sense of responsibility, excellent at setting high standards, planning and organising tasks and ensuring the completion of projects.

Conscientiousness is the personality trait of the leader that effectively strives for success in a sustainable manner. The distinguishing characteristic of this leader is the ability to keep his word. He has integrity and is trustworthy. Being trustworthy is a crucial psychological requirement. An admirable and honourable leader is noble. He is trustworthy and with his trusting team members, they achieve enduring success. A transactional leader is known for only maintaining order and ensuring that tasks are completed efficiently.

My determination to make progress as a leader that is propelled by great ideas resulted in the thriving ventures of my group of companies (Mutual Benefits Group) in Nigeria, Liberia, Niger Republic, United Kingdom and United States of America.

With determined entrepreneurial pursuit, we took risks to create enduring wealth. Our giant strides and contextual intelligence created innovative models in solving well-being problems in insurance and risk management, real estate, banking, oil and gas, mining and agriculture.

For instance, we successfully provided affordable health and medical facilities for the low and medium-income citizens in Niger Republic. We fulfilled this hitherto unfilled necessity and turned what others would have regarded as a social responsibility initiative into a great experimental business initiative. This was a successful business initiative created and brilliantly executed at the “bottom of the pyramid”.