- You might have heard of Kwame Nkrumah, Napoleon Bonaparte, Martin Luther King Jnr., Nelson
- Mandela, Socrates
- Got engrossed in their stories,
- Intrigued by their glories,
- Encouraged by their inventions,
- Dreamt to be inked in their diaries.
- Even studied their lives to earn a degree
- But did you know they also had worries?
- Great leaders this world reveres,
- Held in the highest esteem,
- The pinnacle of esteem achievement,
- Were once just like us. Yes, you and me, us.
- We always dream to be etched in the leaders’ hall of fame
- The league of extraordinary ladies and gentleman
- Basking in the prestige and glory it acclaims
- Earning MSc in Leadership to achieve these feet
- Others already obtaining their PhD’s in the field.
- While some say leaders are made.
- Others say leaders are born.
- Claiming that to be that leader you require “x” and “y” skills, climbed “a” and “b” hills and experienced “m” and “n” thrills.
- A bit of authority and a pinch of good ideas will do the trick, no?
- What if I don’t possess these skills?
- Nor experienced these thrills,
- Am I a disjointed entity that cannot make a perfect quadratic leadership mix?
- But you see,
- Great leaders have come and gone,
- Paved way for the yet unborn
- Their legacies live on,
- Their stories thrive on.
- Their history sings on.
- Handed down from generation to generation
- A tune sang in schools today
- A hymn of praise, a commemorative song
- Statues of valor, erected in their name
- Special holidays, celebrated for their fame.
- And as i sit and think through this poem
- I’m reminded that leadership transcends creating a plethora of ideas
- But has all to do with maximizing the seemingly minute, pinch of an idea into a blossoming field of sweet
- Smelling lilies and daises.
- Harnessing different, brilliant thought patterns,
- Connecting the dots into an endless line of success stories,
- Leadership starts with you and with me.
- From the simplest determination of cleaning your teeth and laying your bed.
- Discipline of oneself
- A focal point adhered to
- To leading a giant army
- Marching forward with grace and determination.
- Everything rises and falls on leadership the saying goes
- A great leader begins from his doorstep to the doorsteps of others
- Leadership of oneself to leadership of the masses.
- Culminating into a ripple effect and affecting generations yet unborn.
- Time and effort dedicated to harnessing the good, siphoning the bad and transforming it into the
- Spectacular.
- A great leader is not the man with the classy title.
- It’s the man with that inner cycle of discipline, drive and persistence
- Pursuing positive change in himself
- Counter reflecting it, affecting the world around him.
- The man ready to learn and relearn
- Leadership is service.
- A true leader is that God-like creator
- Creating an endless cycle of leaders
- Not the man with the most followers.
- To be that great leader,
- Impart the space around you.
- Impact the air surrounding you.
- And let it cause a ripple effect to the world in a resounding fashion
- Impart starts right at the tip of our noses.
Edwin Eyram Klu
(NUGS-Nanjing)
