Dr. OJINNAKA I FY EVARISTUS.JP
The Concept of Leadership is an ominibus construct. It is essential for the understanding of the dynamics of any organization, in any social or political System. However, contemporary intellectual trends have variously affected the definitions, meaning and understanding of the Concept of Leadership. Thus, Leadership is variously defind according to different institutional framework and situational context on which it is excised, be it in public or private sector.
There is no general accepted definition of Leadership, rather, as a social phenomenon, Leadership is variously defined by scholars as a critical factor for effective and efficient running of government or organization. This bring us to the core questions of What is Leadership? Who is a Leader? and what are the fundamentals functions of Leadership? These questions have eluded definitive answer among scholars of contemporary Leadership studies.
Nevertheless, a Leader is an individual who has the power to influence and direct the behaviour of others in a direction he wishes. He is the centre of web of interactions in a given society, association, group or organization. According to George R. Terry, an American Easyist and a guru of leadership scholarship, Leadership is the relationship in which one person, or the Leader influences others to work together willingly on related task to attain that which the Leader desire.
In the light of this definition, there are three main components of Leadership; the Leader, the Followers and the situation, taken together Leadership is therefore an interactions between Leaders, Followers and a particular situation. It is therefore, an attempt on the part of the Leader to influence the behaviour of followers in a particular situation. Leadership is the purpose of influencing the behaviour of people at work in order to achieve a specified goal. A good Leadership help in the increase of the overall performance of an organization.
For conceptual clarity of the subject matter of Leadership, issues like Leadership trait, personality type, Leadership functions and various Leadership methodology is very important in the understanding of the Concept of Leadership. There are institutional parameters for assessment of Leadership. It is the institutions available in any society that provides the background and the framework for political leadership. This is a necessary condition for the stability of any political system. This is because the type of leadership which is found in a particular society is influenced by the social and political structure of the society. Therefore the quality of leadership in a particular society is to be analyzed in the context of the culture of the society.
Consequently as it were, the leadership ability available in a country determines the level of social, political and economic development. Whether transformational leader, reformative leader, ,development oriented leadership or dyfunctional leadership is the function of the socio-politiical culture of the society.
A good leadership must be courageous, visionary, dynamic, innovative and inspiring. Such leadership will be able to tap into available potentials in the society and crystallize such human and material potentials into desired results. Thus improved performance should be the high point of leadership assessment, in understanding the impacts of institutions on development of leadership in any society.
Max Weber, a German sociologist and political philosopher who lived between 1864-1920 provided useful and concise insight on the meaning of Leadership. Weber distinguished three types of leadership as Charistimatic, Traditional, and Legal rational leadership all of which exists in the contemporary times. Among these forms of leadership as typified by weber, Legal relational form of leadership is nevertheless a modern leadership type. It functions within the framework of rule of law and due administrational process. Again, Charismatic Leadership. is based on personal characteristics and charisma that induces followership. Revolutionatry Leaders like Martin Luther king jr. J.F. kennedy of the United States,, Fidel Castro of Cuba, Emeka Ojwkwu of Biafra, J.J Rawlings of Ghana, Thomos Sankara of Bokina Faso, Keneth Kawunda of Zambia, and Julious Nyere of Tanzania among others are the standard examples of Charistimatic leaders that has lived in historic spaces.
Nationalism has been productive of charistmatic leaders. In charistmatic leadership, followers are induced by the attractive personality and the oratory power of the charistmatic leaders, who often uses proparganda mechinary to secure the loyalty of the followership. In macro-political leadership analysis we often say that good leadership commands good followership., hence in a charismatic leadership situation, the personal values of the charismatic leader is dominant in the society, as the leasership can easily deteriorate into totaliterian dictatorship where there is no rule of law, individual freedom and liberty.
According to weber, the power of a charismatic leader is drived from the belief that he is endowed with infalibity, great wisdom and supernatural qualities, hence loyalty is shown to the charismatic leader and his mission, as he inspires people to make great personal sacrifices in their commitment to achieve results. The charisma of a leader is a critical factor of political ascendency. After the death of a charismatic leader, there is always leadership vacuum which leads to policy discontinuity.
Traditional leadership
In a Traditional Leadership model, leaders poses the right to rule by the reason of birth, or family linage. It is by the reason of birth that the Traditional leadership attract followership..This types of leadership is found in monarchy or feudal lords, hence the leadership is ascriptive , and obedience to the Traditional leadership is rooted on the tradition and customs of the society. In other words, the legitmacy of a Traditional leadership authority is drive from historical roots. It provides greater degree of stability, security and predictability than the charismatic leadership authority and method of asscension to the throne is well established according to the tradition of the people.
Legal Rational Leadership Authority
Max Weber concept of Legal-rational Leadership is rooted on his idea of the technical superiority of the bureaucratic institutions. This type of leadership is an ideal type of authority that is vested on the legal authority. The ultimate achievement of a Legal rational leadership is gained towards the building of a strong and disciplined organization to attained desires objective. A Legal rational leader is duely elected or appointed, and function under the existing laws of the land. Obedience to those in authority is to the law, not to the personal decision of the Legal reactional leader. Thus the Legal rational Leader excise his authority by the vitue of the position he occupies, not because of his personal qualities or reasons of birth or connections.
A legal rational leadership is predicted on the structural and legal fame work necessary for the leadership to utilize the political and institutional resources of the society to direct the policies of the government towards meaningful development.
Approaches to the study of Leadership
There are several approaches to the study of Leadership such as psychological, political, historical and sociological approaches.
Psychological Approach
Scholars have undertaken psychological studies of people in leadership position. Attempts at psychological analysis of Leadership led to the rise in the study of political and administrative behaviour, Political Psychology, and the psychological categorization of Leadership. Again many studies have shown in psychological study of Leadership, that leaders and followers are collabertors. There is a correlation between the attributes of a leader and his performance, as personality factors contributes to the emergence and maintenance of leadership status.
A permanent American Leadership scholar, Garry Wills in his recent study and contextual analysis of leadership contends that who emerges as a leader depends on the variety of circumstances. Garry argues forcefully that the key variables for a successful leader are reciprocal understanding of the needs between the leaders and followers, and shared appreciation of goals. Again, Psychological approach to the study of political leadership has overtime layed emphasis on the study and analysis of the psychological thresholds of the policy makers.
Historical Approach
Historical view of Leadership looks into the historical circumstances that led to emergence of leaders eg Hitler of Germany, Benito Musslini of Italy, Fidel Casto of Cuba, Emeka Ojukwu of Biafra.. The fundamental historical forces could be seen in the basic social, economic and political and situational conditions that brought these aforementioned leaders to power.
Sociological Approach
Sociological approach views Leadership in terms of the ability of the leader to influence the followers, mobilize them for the attainment of goals. The sociologists also study the institutions and structures through which the functions of a leader is executed .They study and examine the structural and institutional factors that influences leadership in any given society. It is through structural and institutional analysis of leadership that sociological approach enable us to gain useful insights to the characteristics and dynamics of leadership.
Political Approach
In the same vein, political approach to the study of leadership takes into account the analysis of the functions of the chief executive; the executive behaviour, how resources is mobilized and utilized for the purpose of development. As well as the policies of the government and the extent it impacts the life of the citizens. Political approach to the study of leadership focuses on political accountability, national integration/ cohesion, and communication between the government and the people, how the political leadership relates with the opposition and the political bias .
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD LEADERSHIP
A good leader must’ be self-assertive and self-confidence. A good leader must show capacity, must be capable and have mental and intellectual ability to meet the challenges of leadership. A good leader must have good knowledge of the dynamics of his socio-cultural, political and economic environment, he must have personal initiatives, versatile, emotionally stable and have to undergo years of careful training and education to be trusted with position of leadership.
In the Nigeria context, the above specified leadership qualities have been conspicuously missing. The political leadership since Nigeria independence in 1960, has been a story of personal adventure and fulfilled intrigues. We have seen contemptuously overbearing political leaders whose arrogantly dominering influence has dismantled all known democratic norms, and became a stumbling block to the development of a genuine democratic political culture.
In the past few years, the increased pathological political adventurism among Nigeria political elits, their foot soldiers, and elements playing around the corridors of political power have feathered conscious attempt to basterdize and manipulate the Nigeria political system. A typical Nigerian politician, in an attempt to capture political power places himself above the law. He conpromise law enforcement agencies, and other vunerable institutions to achieve his ambition. In this attempts to manipulate the system, lines has been crossed, values overturned, balance upsetted, as electoral contest , especially at the national levels became reduced to inter-ethnic and regional competition. The Nigeria politicians in their power arrogance, had through political vendetta, gangsterism , calculated disorder, and economic terrorism tried to gain political ascendancy.The recently concluded 2023, general elections is a testament of this fact. The result is the current incurable and irriconcilable conflicts playing out within the body social system in the post election period.
Interestingly, due to incompetent, visionless and irresposibe political leadership, the Nigerian State became a desolating siege on human rights. We have seen the desecration of political institutions and organs of modern government: the Constitution, the Judiciary, the Executive and the Legislature, the military and security agencies, even the organs of mass media, debased and converted into an instrument of corrupt political leadership.
According to Chinua Achebe in his book “The Trouble with Nigeria”, the problem of Nigeria since indepence in 1960 has been the problem of political leadership. Notwithstanding the rich human and material resources available in the country, the leadership has been unable to crystalze these resource to achieve national development. In the past few year, I have lived among our rural peoples, and I have seen poverty with my eyes, I have seen our people living from hands to mouth. The social and economic gap between the rich and the poor has continued to widen, as the Nigerian masses continued to be marginalized in the allocation of national values. A situation that have played out to yeild discontent within the Nigeria socio-economic and political system.
What Nigeria needs today is a Servant leader, a transformatal leadership with the capacity to employ available human and material resources to bring improvement in the material conditions of the people. Nigeria needs leadership that has the capability to understand the dynamics of multi-ethnic, multi-regious and multi-tribal country like ours. Such a leader must show capacity, willing and able to evolve all inclusive policies and programs to ensure national integration. A leadership that would positively impact on all segments of the Nigerian society. Above all, leader must be the choice of the Nigerian peoples.
Thanks for Listening
Prince Ojinnaka Ify Evaristus is a trained Political Scientist, with research interests on African political Leadership, Cyber security, Ethno-centrism, migration, NATO-Russia relations in the post Cold War era, Climate change and food security.
