First Gentleman with Wilson Orhiunu
Email: babawill2000@gmail.com Twitter: @Babawilly
You know the story. A club signifies interest in the latest penalty box wizard and the current club top scorer starts to have nightmares in which an evil dragon glues his bottom to the substitutes’ bench for life. Everyone else is excited at the prospect of ‘quality’ joining the team. The fans are delirious, the midfielders salivate at the prospects of passing to a reliable target immune to missing and the wingers rub their hands in glee as they anticipate an increase in their goal assists tally. New talent and ideas are universally deemed to be good however they make certain people nervous.
Injecting new blood is a phrase that comes to mind when the leader of an organisation, team or family looks to bring in what is required to attain the next level (whatever that is).
In the body, the red blood cells live for about three months and so would gladly accept the bone marrow producing new red cells. No old cell begrudges the new cells their chance to shine as they transport oxygen molecules with aplomb.
With people, it is different. While everyone agrees to the need for improvement, no one wants any change in their strict routines. A leader who goes out researching other organisations for new ideas might be accused by his team of not appreciating the effort they have put in thus far to bring the organisation to its present level. They might think they are perceived as not good enough and this breeds resentment.
A guy might visit a friend and be offered food which is presented in such a way that is in sharp contrast to what his lady does at home. He recalls his dinner table where the plastic and ceramic plates of different shapes and colours are arrayed in a haphazard manner and makes a mental note to tell madam to up her game. He goes home and introduces the ideas of better presentation only for his lady to tell him she had the same thing on her mind for a while but knew he couldn’t afford it. But now he is in the mood, she shows him her lists of prospective cutlery and plates with costs attached.
“I didn’t know plates cost so much,” he says and realises his lady has been looking to him to up his financial talent.
Everywhere you turn you hear so much about innovation, talent and creativity. Change for the better, transformational change, etc. The list is endless and talk is cheap. The only thing changing sometimes is who is topping the pop charts and the latest dance steps. It appears that change is what we talk about in conferences and in real life we dig trenches to secure our ground even if it is mostly sinking sand.
On a personal note, one must go out to seek talent to rub minds with. Courses and conferences help us get better at what we do and aid transition to next level thinking.
No one walks with their eyes closed. We come across virtue and excellence daily and while this might feel threatening, it is also inspirational. We should allow ourselves this question occasionally: “Why not me?” I once heard someone speak and asked myself why I could not make myself be understood as clearly as they did. That was when I started listening to speeches from the great orators and communicators. Over time I have improved. For those who are part of a team or family, you might notice an area that needs improving after seeing how others do it.
It is however important for the change agent to have credibility in the eyes of those he is trying to influence. Once the change agent makes the adjustments on themselves and others look on, the tentative steps of transformational leadership have started.
It is hard for one who does not read any books to inspire his kids to have a great appetite for learning. If a child wakes up early and finds his parent studying, that action witnessed is the leadership required.
Some parents go visiting and upon hearing the grades attained by their host’s kids go back home and start giving their own kids hell. A real change agent who notices something they do not have must spend time asking the people what the cost of that effect they appreciate is. It might be an expense time, money, love, genetics or culture.
It is best when all stakeholders are sold on continuous improvement and understand that nothing improves without the injection of talent. Negative feelings toward those who are exceptional must be done away with even if these people are cocky or appear over confident and bloated with pride.
One however should guard against lusting for what others have without an inclination to pay the price required. That is one of the causes of going into crime. Some people cannot keep their eyes off their neighbour’s car, house, clothes or even spouse. These are covetous people who just want what others have but despise the sweat, toil and hustle required to make things happen. These ones are not students of the process but want to turn and live large on harvest day.
Sometimes however the quest for the new hot thing leads to mistakes. Steve Jobs was fired off the board of Apple in 1985 when they tried to Toy with his Story but that same board had to welcome him back a few years later (1997).
Our people say that thing wey you waka from Sokoto to Kafanchan to seek, e dey your Sokoto (trouser) all along.
