Leadership: Values and Visions
In this crucial times, the call for good leadership is reaching a peak that can no longer be ignored. The #EndSARS protest has been met by a leadership that seem handicapped. The decisions of a leader are dictated by two major whorls- his values and his visions.
While visions can change, values take a long time to change and the decisions of every leader is colored by these two whorls. No matter how he denies it, his decisions will sell him out. The vision of the leader is the destination he wishes to get to. So, as he makes tactical decisions, his hope is that the resultant of his decisions will get to the desired haven.
It would take a deep study to understand the vision of a leader, but it is not hard to perceive the values of the leader. Values are like brands. You may not be aware that you have a brand, but that does not mean that you do not have one. The same goes for the values of a leader. The mere fact that the leader is ahead, his values are exposed and can be deduced from his decisions.
Sometimes, the vision of a leader may oppose his values in making a decision. This is a very hard junction for leaders. You either compromise on your values or neglect the vision. Placing values above vision can be catastrophic. Overtime, we have seen leaderships without direction. This is because they rate their values above their vision. Especially in Africa, we have seen leaderships become obsessed with power and authority that they neglect the journey they started just to hold on to power!
Business leaders can get derailed by the growth of their enterprise while political leaders’ pitfall is power! In order to stay in power, they embrace values that they have distanced themselves from. That’s the case with Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State crowning Naija’s Laycon as an ambassador. Definitely, that wasn’t ‘youth empowerment’, it was simply latching on the trend to catch more fishes. Donald Trump, in his parley with the American Church has been accused of this too.
Analyzing President Buhari’s leadership style, he swings between a transactional leader (a leader who insists on following the rules) and an autocratic leader (a leader who doesn’t take counsel from his subordinates). His decisions have shown that he has nepotistic and religious values that he places above his vision. His vision has thus become obscure. He now has a non-chalant/indifferent/incompetent brand among many Nigerians.
Values are not always bad and sometimes, they may be the saving grace of a leadership. When Vision and values clash, it is important to examine if the value will hurt the vision. Sometimes, you hold on to a value even if it makes the journey of achieving the vision longer. This is the case when you want to establish a value system in the people you are leading. This was the case with Nelson Mandela during the apartheid days.
Nelson Mandela had the clout to take away the lean peace in South Africa during the negotiation days, but he publicly lived out the values he wanted to see in his people though, it made the journey longer and many even lost faith in his leadership.
When values clash with the vision, it can completely derail the leadership. So it is imperative that the values do align with the direction of the vision. In choosing a leader, knowing his vision is not enough, you also need to know his values. What are the things he considers ‘untouchable’, ‘necessary’ and ‘important’!
