Leadership Nuggets- a mini interview

What defines leadership? Can such a seemingly complex topic be made any simpler?

So I decided to get another’s opinion on the topic. Chukwukadibia Ude is a transformational leader who has over six years work experience, two years of active leadership experience and many years of passive leadership influence. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) and resides in Enugu, Nigeria.
Read his thoughts below:

LHB: What identifies a person as a leader?
— Transference of right virtues into others. Leadership is giving life to people. The life given is the true hope they need. Only a leader can first become this life, and then give it. Giving this life to others as a leader through the way you live and making them pass it to others through the way they live is a top leadership identification factor. There are other identifying factors…

LHB: Is leadership a gift given to just a few people?
—Yes, but not to a few people.
Yes, leadership is a gift because I believe the word of God says so. Gifts can be given to him whom God decides to show mercy. We give humans gifts to thank them. God gives gifts for us to do what He knows we can do. More so, anyone He chooses, He can give gifts… the number maybe many or few.
No, is also an answer because there is a latent leadership potential that everyone has that grows to be used to take up basic roles like husband, wife, father, mother, grandmother, grandfather and so on.
So, if this is so, potential is given by God. I will say that leadership is a gift with its basics given to all and more of its package given to who God decides to give more responsibilities or who desires to work for God to achieve a certain good purpose.  Remember, gifts are opened by the receiver and used. You get used to a gift over time by using it.

LHB: Can Leadership skills be developed?
—Yes.
First, leadership is more of what you learn from on-going life experience than what you are taught in formal classes. Leadership skills are developed only through practice.

LHB: How can these skills be cultivated in children?
—First, how do children learn? By what they see you do. You can only teach what you practice and practice what you teach. So you cultivate leadership in children with first, your living example of leadership.
Secondly, by actively teaching them; only a man who does what he teaches has the teacher's impact and influence.
Thirdly, once you achieve cultivation through practice and teaching, your influence will draw them to you and they seek your counsel. So counselling is the third way.
Fourth, is through discipline. This could be called the backbone of cultivation as it is discipline that trains you as the leader and self-educates the child you want to cultivate. God disciplines those He loves. This is also true for us. We discipline children to become leaders. While doing so, we engage the other three: exemplary practice, teaching and counselling.

LHB: In a country such as ours where the failures of our focal leaders are evident, what can one do to help himself and his society?
—Leadership is a personal journey with God and a learning ground in the midst of men. The best you can do is to go to God who is the highest authority and sees beyond your focal leaders. Growing through your personal relationship with God will open your eyes to the problems of the society that God wants you to correct. Your leadership training, development and success depends on how close you go to God.
You can also read about the society and how other societies developed. Before you read however, you need the ultimate truth that comes from God as you go to Him.

LHB: Leaders are known to be solution givers, how do they develop this trait?
—Look at the term, 'solution givers'. This means they have the solution within them. You cannot give what you don't have. When you have a personal relationship with God and you have a burden on restoring your society, you will be filled with revealed knowledge.
Ideas come to those who are hungry for solutions. Leaders are hungry for solutions. They search it out. They read wide. They think deep. They imagine far. They observe patterns and check trends. They ask questions. They go to God. Who meets God and has no solution? Who searches and doesn't find? Who asks questions and doesn't receive an answer?
Leaders develop their solution giving trait by immersing themselves into continuous learning.

LHB: Finally, why bother about leadership?
Because leadership is the gate that prevents falsehood and corruption from gaining access into this life. Leaders are watchmen. Only they understand the significance of the gate of leadership.
With falsehood, there is no love, no hope, no faith. We must bother about leadership because it brings true hope and restores the normal human living conditions.
One more thing, leadership has a lively tool (or deadly tool) called the tongue. As Rabbi Daniel Lapin puts it, 'the mouth is the most important organ in leadership.'
Overall, leadership training, development and maturity demands an understanding of the purpose of life, your purpose in this purpose and living the nine fruits of the spirit listed as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

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Chukwukadibia Ude holds a bachelor's honor in civil engineering given by Federal University of Technology, Owerri, and a master's honor from the University of Leeds, England in engineering project management. With after-school shock and feelings of betrayal by the school system, he got himself together and began the journey of who he is. He gave up formal education and enrolled into the University of Life. Growing through the new education in daily living, Chukwukadibia now teaches people on human capacity development and leadership.
He can be reached via twitter using his handle: @ckadibia

This was quite an enlightening one, do you agree?
Let us know your views in the comment section. Thanks for stopping by.
Remember: you’re light, shine!

❤

PS: In case you missed the last post, do catch up here!