SeyiOlagunju

Are you looking to see yourself or organization grow beyond conventional or regular management tactics, strategies and principles? You need not look any further, the solution is here. Watch the video below as an introduction into the new world of Management. Comments are welcome .

“Follow the leader”, Mark exclaimed even as he walked briskly through the ranks from the back to the front. He had just learnt that every leader was meant to lead by example. Hannah, who was in line focused on Mark and urged others to do the same, “Even followers have to follow by example she said thinking she was talking to herself but not knowing that she had voiced it out. What do you mean by that, queried Bayo, the leader is the example we follow not the followers. Oh, I  didn't  know I let that out, thought I was whispering to myself, Hannah replied. You see, she continued, just as the followers follow the example of the leader, the followers to have a role to play in making the ride an enjoyable one for the leader. There are some followers who will probably dislike the leader, or hate his tactics or even want his position by every means, but as a follower who has the interest of the group at heart, I must work for the good of the group first putting my sent...

I have often heard people talk about discipline and getting to the top with it if I have an eye for the top. Though one cannot over-emphasize discipline, there is need to tread cautiously when relating Leadership with Discipline. From the dictionary, Discipline can be said to be the “Training of the mind and body to produce self-control, control gained as a result of training the mind and body, method of training”. It is the process of chastising or restraining one’s self in order to attain a goal or target that has been set for the greater good. From the Chinese, “The energy of the mind is the essence of life”. How well a person is able to make good use of the energy that his mind possesses and every opportunity that comes his/her way, and how well the energy and abilities are channeled in the right way to solve problems is a function of the level of discipline the person operated at. For leadership to blossom and grow effectively there must be discipline on the part of ...

Adaptability in Leadership depicts the ability of a leader to adapt to changes around him/her. This is a strong determining factor to how far S/He will go in leadership. Breaking the word down in two ways, we have: ADAPT and ABILITY . First we take a look at the word “ ADAPT ”. We can have the words “ AD ” and “ APT ”. We can also have the words “ ADD ” and “ APT ”. From the Dictionary the word “ AD ” means to advertise, to show, announce, to broadcast. The word “ APT ” is the short form of “ APTITUDE ” which means the “potential to acquire skill” or “quickness to learning; quickness and ease in learning”. Bringing them both together, AD-APT will mean the leader “showcasing/advertising/broadcasting or announcing his/her ability to learn about his/her environment, the people as well as him/herself in order to be an effective leader, OR, showcasing, publicizing his/her skills or abilities; Knowledge-Ability, Leadership abilities in a way and manner that fits the environment or t...

Every human being has some level of enthusiasm, but the cause of this may vary from person to person. I would not be defining enthusiasm here, but by the time you are done listening through, you would have had a good understanding of what enthusiasm is just enough to apply it to yourself and put up an explanation whenever the need arises. According to Ralph Waldo Emerson , “ Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm ”. If nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm, then nothing great will ever be achieved without it, even in leadership. For one to be an effective leader there has to be a good dose of enthusiasm operating in such a person. It is one of the things that endear the heart of a leader to the people being led, the area of assignment.  A leader who is not enthusiastic about what S/He is involved in will not achieve anything significant in his/her leading role. Enthusiasm spurs passion, and passion rolls with excellence. A leader that is not p...

NEUTRAL: To learn something new means to see or understand or know something in a way different from what has been known before. If you are told what you already know the way you know it, you probably would not see or learn anything new, but if you are told something you have heard before in a different way and manner, there is a tendency to learn something new. It is important for every learner or intending learner to set his/her mind to a neutral state so that what is coming in will be seen in a different light from what has already been known. I attended a seminar some years ago with the topic around Information Technology and benefits. I wondered what they could possibly be talking about that was new to me since that happened to be my field and I believed I was up to date. Throughout the seminar I did not see or learn any new thing but, sometime later, I stumbled over the notes and soft materials from the seminar and sat down with a fresh mind to read through and low ...

RESPONSE/RESPONDING: Every living thing responds to stimulus. This stimulus could be internal or external. This response could be based on a stimulus that touches the body or the mind. How will a teacher or trainer know if a student or learner has learnt something new? From his/her response. For every action there is a reaction that is equal and opposite. This may vary from entity to entity though. Every action is a reaction to an action or actions; internal or external, which is equal and opposite to the causative action. A response is a reply or an action done in reaction to something. A response usually shows the content or make-up of the mind or the structure of the receiving person or entity. A response is an indicator that something has been received. A person shows that S/He has received or learned something by the nature and type of response given. The nature of the response indicates: The internal (Emotional, Mental and Psychological) and external (Physical, Social) sta...

ADAPTING: Species that are able to adapt to changes in their environment are at a greater advantage in the quest for survival in an environment where resources and survival elements are limited. The ability of an animal to adapt and adjust to changes in its natural habitat will see it rise above its contemporaries or peers. The surviving animal then becomes a leader in its pack; top of its order or class. Adapting is a learning process that needs and takes resources from the adapting entity (Person, Animal or thing). If these needed resources for adapting are not enough, the adapting entity may not cross the threshold of survival. This means that the entity in question may not be able to stay above the waters dues to the lack of needed resources that can take it above “the storm”. The threshold may vary from entity to entity, but the parameters and tools necessary are very similar. Adaptation is an Active—Process in Learning that requires: Physical, Mental, Social, Psychologica...

ENTHUSIASM: According to Ralph Waldo Emerson , “ Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm ”. The enthusiasm showed by a person towards an activity, event, happening, or phenomenon will play a strong part in determining the learnability of such person. Enthusiasm can be described as eagerness, a deep intense zeal or passion focused on pursuing a specific or spontaneous set of goals, involving some level of intense emotionalism, absorbing or controlling interest. A leader who is not enthusiastic about learning about a people or environment will find it difficult to lead such a people. Enthusiasm activates or enhances the absorption or assimilation levels of a person for learning. Taking a cue from Ralph Waldo Emerson we can conclusively say that “Nothing new is learned without a degree of enthusiasm. Learning a new thing is a great achievement, and discovering a new thing does not happen without enthusiasm.  Finally from Deji Akinyanju (Owner of Chicken Repu...

In a bid to LEARN, the leaders must cultivate a number of Active-Processes. A.    LISTENING: This is the first process and activity in learning. It is said that every good conversation starts with good listening, and every good relationship starts with good listening. In the words of the International On-Air Personality; Larry King – “ I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening ”. Listening is both a conscious and sub-conscious activity involving the eyes, the ears, the nose, hands, the tongue and the mind. Can the eyes, the nose, the hands or the tongue or the mind be used for listening? Yes. Listening is basically the Active-Process of ‘Paying attention to’ whatever is being assimilated. The eyes are used to listen to visual statements and these statements range from graphical statements, pictorial statements, gestures and signs, drawings, writings and inscriptions. With the e...

LEARNABILITY IN LEADERSHIP (Part B) A leader or an aspiring leader who does not see learning as paramount and a priority is bound to fail. In the words of John Fitzgerald Kennedy popularly known as JFK , – “ Leadership and Learning are indispensable to each other ” – he harps on the connection between leadership and learning. Every leader must learn about: Ø Him/Herself: Strengths, weaknesses, areas that need little improvements, areas that need great improvements, abilities, as well as no-go areas etc. Ø Environments (Micro and Macro): Immediate environments and extended environments as well as the terrain in which he/she will be leading in. Ø The People: The type of people, behavior, culture, lifestyle, strengths of the people, their weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and more. Ø Operational System(s): The type of systems and structures already in use and every possible detail about them and how best to come in. All these are necessary so that the lead...

A while back I was in Accra the capital of Ghana. I beautiful place with easy going people who seemed to obey traffic laws whether or not there was the presence of law enforcement agents. I crossed the road one day when the pedestrian light was on red, while that of cars was on green. I crossed the road the ‘Lagos’ way, meandering through the cars and even waving down a vehicle to stop. The driver of the vehicle I tried to wave down pointed out the traffic lights asking if I was blind not to see that I did not have the rights or go-ahead to cross the road. I tell you I felt very stupid with myself. Seyi you are not a kid, you are past secondary school, past a first degree, past a Masters and moving on to get the next thing, yet you can’t obey a simple traffic light, are you such a dummy?   I tell you, that was the last time I crossed the road or drove across a junction or through a major road without the go-ahead of the traffic light, not only in Ghana, but in N...