Managing self for maximum results

“The difference between what we are doing and what we’re capable of doing would solve most of the world’s problems” - Mahatma Ghandi

I returned to Ibadan again over this last weekend. I don’t know how to explain it. But each time I step into the place, I get into this exciting mood that brings the goose pimples all over me. It must have something to do with what remains in my sub-conscious mind about the university, about Mapo Hall where those great political speeches of old were made and about the great names that once gave colours to the politics of Nigeria. I think these days, it’s all still there, just in different ways and colours. However, I badly wanted to visit the Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odulana, to at least say congratulation on his ascension to the throne.

But then, I realized that the palace has been very busy recently. There is a pending promotion exercise and I didn’t want to be accused of influencing the outcome. You know what a professional human resource practitioner is capable of. But I will return to pay that visit to the Olubadan, because I see him as a courageous and principled man, a professional of sort who is doing his best to manage things around him.

Leadership exists on a continuum from managing yourself to managing others to managing an organization. This is to say that effective management of others is primarily a function of effective management of oneself. The tragedy of our time is that we have seen so-called leaders who by their uncouth behaviour and animalistic display of avarice should be in school taking a special course on Self-Management. It has often been suggested that those who aspire for political offices should go through a mandatory psychiatric test. But let me add, that they should also sit in the Managing Self 101 class. Otherwise, we will continue to have the kind of leaders that we currently end up with. People who have clearly failed to manage themselves, but who will do anything, including killing fellow human beings, to assume leadership positions in our national life. Why are we so unlucky?

I was almost inclined to say that this is one of the tragedies of democracy, but then, I remembered the ongoing primaries in the United States of America. I see quality, I see issues, I see men who have been able to manage themselves and visibly show that they have what it takes to manage others, as well as their nation. Even if you do not know what I am talking about, you would have heard the name, Barrack Obama. He is black, just like us. He is confident, courageous and he is talking change. He wants to change things, he wants to change a nation and by extension, the destiny of a people. You can’t change others and situations, if you have not changed yourself. The management books have always taught that the only person you can change is yourself. That is when you can influence others to change. This is what self-management is all about – influencing people, things and situations. This is what Barrack Obama is doing. I like him and wish him well. He will make a good facilitator of the Managing Self 101 class for political leaders in Nigeria.

No man should aspire to lead others until he has resolved the primary question; who are you and what do you want? Effective self-management begins with self-awareness. Managing yourself is about knowing who you are, drawing upon your inner strengths, and overcoming whatever may unduly limit you. It is about having a sense of purpose; it’s about making your goals clear; it’s about fulfilling destiny. Self-awareness is about being authentic; it’s about being true to yourself. It’s about knowing what works for you and what doesn’t. Those who subvert the people’s will, those who employ violence and force themselves on the people as leaders suffer from a psychological deficit of self-esteem. They lack self-awareness and therefore need to be managed themselves.

Let me put this in the right perspective. Effective self-management is about living in alignment and living in alignment is all about thinking and doing what one must do in order to achieve goals while honouring principles, values and beliefs. Your thoughts, emotions and actions define your current reality, but your purpose, goals and needs are the main channels to your ideal self. If there is disequilibrium between your current reality and these channels of your transformation, de-motivation sets in and you lose your power of influence.

Therefore, it is imperative that you deal with your perception. Life is what you perceive it to be. You must see life as an adventure because then, you will be able to recognize opportunities. It takes an inner vision to tap into opportunities. The most basic of opportunities is the one for self-development and that for managing yourself. Don’t limit your opportunities by what and how you think. Your thoughts influence not just your current reality, but also the possibility of realizing your ideal self. As the experts would say, if you think you can or you think you cannot, you are right. Finally, never criticize yourself as having a weakness. Simply recognize your every weakness as a present undeveloped skill or as a part of yourself that needs change. Truth is, your every weakness is an untapped potential.