Leadership: The Doing and Culture.

Leadership: The Doing and Culture

I read with interest a report that the United States Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price says he is reimbursing U.S. taxpayers for his official travel on private charter planes. At first, it did not mean much to me, I could not internalize the inner workings of operating on principles and attributes like conscience, fidelity, integrity, compassion, courage, responsibility and justice.
I could not adopt or apply any emotions behind this action or response that is common occurrences in societies such this God’s own country. Uh! A highly placed official like the United States Health and Human Services Secretary, in an OFFICIAL capacity and in an OFFICIAL DUTY, being chastised, for flying a private charter plane in an administration where sticking to the gun and apologize for nothing is the rule of the game. Wow! Wait a minute mhen!
You Agree
Yes, you too right? Thinking what I am thinking, right?
What if this was a third world country? What if this was Nigeria? What if this was a minister, a governor, a senator, or even a military guy in ANY administration in Nigeria? Will re-payment of what he/she used for official duties be an option like it was in this case?
Yes, we know, admittance or rather admitting that it happened will be up for grabs, debates on the fact that he was on official duty may be one thing, discussions on if he had other options that can and make less the financial burden on the society who are losing by his leisure living will be a mute. The matter-of-fact part of it all in Nigerian parlance is the in your face culture that so has become accepted that it will be a deviation from the norm if it was not done as it has been done – Attitude.
Now, hear this. Civilization is the intelligent management of human emotions, Jim Rhon said. Emotions govern our attitudes and our emotions are the puppet master that is pulling the strings of our projected feelings – behaviors, characters, communications, utterances and relationship with ourselves, our families, our business partners, our colleagues, the people we govern and legislate for and most especially; the people that put their fate in us.
What Our Emotions Do
Our emotions control our habits and if Covey defines a habit as the intersection between Knowledge, Skill, and desire.
What We Have Seen
We have seen Nigerian leaders – a governor in the Southwestern state try to in his own words “DEAL MERCILESSLY” with college students who were protesting the long closure of their school.
We have seen a senator taunt his constituency when they question the veracity and legitimacy of his education and ostentatious living. His pile of cars will the most extravagant Money Mayweather’s garage look like a schoolyard.
We all are living witnesses to the kingly welcome of a convict. A former governor of one the Midwestern states whose more than 70 accusations were thrown out in court in Nigeria only for him to have been caught and sent to jail in a more civilized society. He was innocent in ours.
At the recent United Nations General Assembly, observations were made that delegations from some of the poorest countries in the world, mostly from Africa are spending extravagantly in New York City while their homelands struggles. Let it sink a little and then make the comparison and you be the judge. I could go on but I am not going to do that.
Questions That Need Answer
The question is which direction are developing countries directing their gazes?
What do they know?
What do they not know?
What do they want to know?
How are they going about finding to know what they may want to know?
Leaderships: What are They
The leadership of self and others begins with self, and there are so many attributes to leading, to becoming a leader, to being the led, and to being a follower. Is it not time that we ask the TOUGH QUESTIONS? Is not time we ask what we are, and who we are? My belief is that what differentiates humans from the ants, spiders, lions and tigers and all the other animals are reasoning and choices. Making choice to do, and do that, which is right; that which is right by us and for us. To change course and make sail adjustment if the wind is not favorable, to look at what was, putting it into what is, and coming up with what will be – Perception Demand Construct.
Nigeria has no business being poor and Nigerians have no business being a part of poverty because we have the choice of knowing what we knew and seeing what we have seen or saw. A paradigm shift will change habits and do an attitude course correction, will translates responses into results, redirect the doing – activities, and then we may become …
Let me hear from you.
OJI