Gombe people are sophisticated people. They are learned and industrious and they distinguish themselves very well when they are called to serve or wherever they find themselves.
Gombe state is blessed with mineral resources and with a honest and pragmatic government capable of managing these natural resources, the state should lead others.
Gombe will fare well with a sophisticated governor, well- travelled and one that has the social, economic and political connections to attract investments to the state. By all indices, the state is laid back by all standards. Can it boast of quality education? How well does it measure in healthcare facilities or in Agriculture and industries? What about human capital development? Such a government that came on the heels of acceptance by the people should not be seeing to be disappointing and here is the worse. There are no blueprints to suggest that things would improve going forward.
Many are of the opinion that the incumbent is running a one man and nepotistic show in appointments among others. Others opined that developments is far from the people under this administration compared to previous ones.
However, this writer hopes to analyze the state sectorally starting from education, health, agriculture, human capital development among others.
Leadership is all that is needed to right the wrongs going on in the state. Even the most sophisticated psychometrics and people analytics have yet to make leadership development more science than art. Competence, character, creativity, and charisma remain difficult qualities to quantify, let alone cultivate. Growing effective leaders is challenging but can be rewarding.
But maybe we’re measuring the wrong things. When entrepreneurs, innovators, and executives describe the kind of leaders they want to be, an unhappy truth invariably emerges: The attributes they so admire often aren’t the behaviors they display. Their truisms lack pragmatism.
Fortunately, a simple question evokes greater self-awareness and actionable insights than the typical 360 degree review: How do you lead by example? That means asking leaders to detail instances and anecdotes where their actions set standards for others. What do they actually do that influences and inspires?
I’ve found no better diagnostic for promoting authentic revelations around personal leadership style and substance. For one, it non-judgmentally presumes people already lead by — and thus set — good examples; for another, it pushes leaders to think harder about how others interpret their behavior. Truly credible answers require both empathy and introspection.
Charm and charisma are wonderful, but good examples can prove as persuasive as great presence.
Serious leaders especially in governance understand that, both by design and default, they’re always leading by example. Some want to “lead from the front” while others prefer “leading from behind.” But everyone senses their success — and failure — at leading by example is integral to their “leadership brand.” Smart leaders want to build their brands. The lead-by-example stories executives tell sharpen their leadership brand propositions.
Sadly, in Gombe, there seems to be no leadership, no brand or ideology to be marketed. Inconsistency and hypocrisy are indeed trending. That’s what makes reciprocity so powerful. Examples are as much about exchange as influence. That’s why lead-by- examples must ultimately be incorporated as an essential leadership development metric. Serious leadership development doesn’t just ask leaders to know how they lead by example; it challenges them to be aware of what leadership examples inspire and influence them.
Identifying and communicating those core and critical leadership examples is at the heart of a healthy enterprise culture. Determining if there are even better ways to lead by example is central to a healthy culture of leadership development.
In Gombe, the people are watching and they have woken up from their slumbers. Only time would tell.
Muhammed Bappa writes from Gombe
