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INFLUENCE - THE MISSING LINK

 


I reviewed a book yesterday title: "Influence: Leading without Position" written by Philip E. Morrison and Hankuri Tawus Gaya. I sense it is timely I share with you what I learned. This may not capture everything in the book, but I hope these words add value to your life and make you a better person.

From the Beginning; Growing Up

Like any other young person growing up, there are few leadership myths that our society has forced down our throats as Nigerians/Africans; unless we challenge these erroneous myths and pre-conceived notions, we will never rise to the place of true change, prominence, influence and transformation. Below are some of the myths:

  1. Leadership is highly positional, title-based and authoritative

  2. Leadership is for the old and not for the young

  3. The young has nothing to offer in terms of leadership 

  4. Leadership is when you have the power to make others do what you want even when they don’t want or see the reason to.


Addressing the Issues 

It is with the above-mentioned issues and many others in mind that Philip E. Morrison and Hankuri Tawus Gaya gave us due meat in due season in “Influence: Leading without Position”. The purpose of this is to break African Youths free from these traps and setting them loose to revolutionary change their time with deep, true and substantial influence. I bet they know that the missing leadership and transformation link in Africa is influence. 

The Crux of the Matter 

Power, authority, title, position, office and fame - all these are what dominate our erroneously ingrained definition of leadership. Where have these gotten us over the years? What have they changed for us hitherto? Don't we deserve a better approach to handling issues? 

Now, if leadership is exclusively positional, title-based and authoritative, then Nigeria and Africa at large are hopelessly doomed; however, influence gives all and sundry the inclusively reserved right to lead without position wherever, whenever and however. I strongly believe men and women who left marks in the sand of time for us to follow were men who did so with influence and not position, it was their influence that brought them to the limelight. 

The book contains easy-to-do timely tools and weapons aimed at equipping everyone to be a leader without a position. This can be done through earning the right to be heard by building a trustworthy character of faithfulness, building capacity and having a great circle of value-minded relationships. For nothing at all can shut a voice that has earned the right to be heard. To be able to lead without a position, one must have the influencer’s heart that sees opportunity in adversity and can easily navigate challenges with wisdom, understanding and humility.


Where Do We Go from Here?

To influence is to have the capacity or ability to bring about a change in someone's character, development and behaviour. Influence doesn't use force, it doesn't dominate or manipulates. Rather it appeals to the will by needfully transforming and changing the mind and pointing to a new, better, and profitable way of doing things and addressing issues.

Therefore, for us to address the ills of our time, it has to be true influence. For us to challenge the status quo of all that is wrong with us, it must be through influence. If there is anything we have to equip our arsenal with as a people, it has to be influence. 

Your family beckons on you, your neighbourhood awaits you, your community longs for you, your church yearns for you, your generation and nation is still anticipating you to break forth. Truth is, they don’t wait for another political messiah but a game-changer, and a change maker who is loaded with influence and can see through their pains, shame and hardships and bring forth a new leave of change and transformation. 

If there is any right time is now, there is no other better place but right here, if there is any right man is you, and if there is any other hope, or way or solution for us all, it must be through influence – leading without a position. 


Thank you for reading

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