Leadership is defined as the ability of an individual or a group of individuals to influence and guide followers or other members of an organisation. In other words, leadership is about developing people and helping others reach their full potential. And also, equipping them with the right tools and strategies not only to maximise the success of an organisation but also the lives of individuals. Caroline Phiri Lubwika, Women in News- social impact reporting initiative manager, believes that for one to be a good leader you first have to be in position to lead yourself and that it all starts with you, then the rest can follow. To lead yourself, she says, it means one is in position to manage themselves as well as learn things to make better choices by thinking the way a leader does. It’s also essential to develop a better attitude and credibility through self-management. “Learning to lead yourself reveals your interests and values. It gives you direction and keeps you from leading people where you don’t want them to go,” says Lubwika. To achieve the responsibility of being a good leader, she notes that one should be in position to get involved in the process – which is simply referred to as leading by example. How to lead others Alphonse Uworwabayeho, a lecturer of mathematics at the University of Rwanda’s College of Education, says one way of being able to lead others is through listening to people you lead or want to lead. He explains that it’s common for most leaders to always be busy giving directives and managing teams, whereby the listening part is forgotten completely. He notes that this is wrong and that a good leader should understand that they do not know everything and put into consideration that it’s still possible to learn something new from the people they lead. Just as it’s a norm for most organisations to hire staff based on their expertise and experience in specific fields, a good leader is supposed to take this opportunity and learn to interact and listen to all employees regardless of their positions. Besides, he also highlights that respecting others also comes in handy when you want to be good and influential leader. “In different organisations and enterprises, there are always people to report to if there are challenges in a particular department, these structures are made in every working place. As a leader however, there is need to observe these chains of command in order to motivate those you are leading,” he says. Kevin Shema, head of a volunteering club, says it’s essential to always get involved as a leader. He says as a leader, one is supposed to give orders and directions. However, such directions can work well if such leaders also get involved in the actual work. For instance, he says, a leader can lead by example by accompanying their juniors in the field or simply leading the work they have assigned them, depending on what an organisation does. “This I believe helps when it comes to boosting the overall morale of the entire team. On the side of the leader, by doing this, they will be in position to develop new skills and knowledge as well as build trust with others,” he says. On top of this, Shema says that it also gives the leader a clear picture of the challenges that others go through, therefore it becomes easier to work through them in case there are any. Uworwabayeho says as a leader, it’s ideal to always appreciate and value others. Here, he explains that appreciating the contribution of other people in any organisation helps strengthen the relationship between the leader and those that they lead. This, he says can be done by exhibiting good communication and listening skills for everyone to understand their role and what they are supposed to do.
