Don Tasks Leaders On Quality Service

The Acting Vice-Chancellor of Imo University, Owerri, Prof. B.E. Nwoke, says a country can only make progress if its leaders possess positive, constructive, dynamic, creative and effective leadership qualities.

Nwoke made the statement at the inaugural lecture on “Effective Leadership in the 21st Century”, presented as part of the reception organised in honour of the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu in Owerri on Tuesday.

Nwoke said many countries were facing leadership crises because those holding public positions were not true leaders.

He said the world needed leaders who would lead their generation effectively.

“Worldwide, in all continents, we are facing leadership crises. Our greatest need now is positive, constructive, dynamic, creative and effective leadership.

“We may have many people filling administrative positions but you will quite agree with me that we need sincere leaders who are able to do the job more effectively in our generation,” he said.

The lecture held at the newly constructed Ikemba Ojukwu Centre, Owerri focused on the habits people must acquire to make effective leaders in the 21st century.

Nwoke described habit as patterns of behaviour that involved three overlapping components, namely knowledge, desire and skills.

He said leaders should be proactive, put first things first, seek to understand their subjects rather than seek to be understood as well as engage in synergy.

He said proactive leaders developed the ability to choose their responses and did not blame circumstances or conditions for their behaviour.

“Proactive leaders focus their time and energy on things they can control in lieu of reacting to or worrying about conditions over which they have little or no control.

“In so doing, proactive people use positive energy to influence conditions and increase their circle of influence,” he said.

Nwoke explained that putting first things first involved organising and managing time and events according to personal priority.

He said leaders should seek to understand things before prescribing solutions to problems, adding that there principles manifested in many areas of life.

“Leaders must be like the eagle, which has great vision and perception, and is never distracted but faces challenges headlong.”