If you have read The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John C. Maxwell, you most likely would have seen his popular quote.
“Everything boils down to leadership”
At first this quote didn’t make sense. Why should “everything” be blamed on the leader? Don’t the followers have a role to play too?
Unknown to me I was subconsciously echoing what I was taught in school. Leadership and ‘followership’ were made to be almost equals, as a way to balance excesses. The followers had to play their role like the leader.
After a brief stint in leadership positions I soon realised that John was right. One person needs to take responsibility. Two captains can’t steer a ship.
Leadership is everything.
With that said, why do unqualified people get to lead?
Growing up, my mother always sounded her deep dislike for eye-service and corporate politicking. She was and still is a hard worker who believes in the dignity of labour and reaping from the seeds we sow — especially in the workplace.
I grew up sharing the same values too and expected that people would take responsibility for their level of commitment and be moral enough to accept what they merit.
This never happens in the real world.
Even the corporate world that prides itself to be more committed than the civil service is not more than an inch better.
One question that keeps hovering on my mind is, “how do unqualified people get to lead? By error? By oversight?
I believe that leadership positions should not be one to be joked with or shared as birthday gifts. It is better that the unqualified is under leadership than the reverse.
There can’t be a perfect meritocratic system anywhere in the world, unfortunately it is very negligible in Nigeria. For the sake of joviality and verbosity many have been granted the opportunity to lead, and as expected, they flunk.
As you select leadership by vote or hire, would you jeopardise progress by being swayed by emotions and throwing meritocracy and logic to the dogs?
The painful truth is politics is ubiquitous, more qualified people will leave, and your success won’t last.
Originally published at chaibizi.com on 13 April 2015.
