Solving the Leadership and Management Equation in Ghana

The leadership and management challenges facing Ghana is enormous and it is my hope that the younger generation of managers and leaders will rise up to the challenges thereby making a difference and propelling prosperity.
I strongly believe that the solution to many of the challenges facing Ghana lies in competent management and leadership. To that end, I would like to share some insight on principles of leadership and management, and hopefully the younger generation of leaders and managers back home in Ghana will find it useful, and put it to use as they navigate the global jungle of management and leadership. Ghana is so blessed with so many talented, gifted, brainy and intelligent young men and women; therefore, I see no reason why Ghana cannot become a cutting edge industrialized nation with competent managers and leaders.
Years ago, the supervisor or boss focused almost exclusively on getting the work done - managing the day-to-day people activities to get the product or service “out the door”. In today’s competitive world, the managers and supervisors not only have to manage the day-to-day activities, but have to be leaders who can engage, influence, inspire and lead change in organizations that don’t remain static from day to day. Organizations that recognize this sooner than later, proactively prepare current and future leaders to successfully take on the challenges in today’s workplace.
Successful organizations value leadership and groom high potential employees for more responsibility while building confidence and engagement for employees in all positions. Which is an indication that their eye is clearly on growing and developing their internal resources?
We often hear nowadays that change is the new normal and all employees need to be ready to either lead change or be willing to be an active participant in the change process. Successful organizations continue to grow and continuously look for better, more efficient ways to accomplish things at the same time.
Solid management principles are still fundamental to any manager’s success. But in addition to the day-to-day activities that keep employees informed and work flowing, the definition of supervisory and management roles has expanded to include the ability to influence, empower, engage, and get employees to follow their lead. Employees don’t leave companies, they leave bosses – so even the behavior of frontline leaders has an impact on employees.
Leaders at all levels of the organization have to do more with less – less time, less budget, fewer resources, fewer people. Add in global competition and increasing customer demands and you have a work environment where leaders need to adapt to ongoing change and help their direct reports work with the change as well.
In the past, managers could rely on the power of their position, give orders, and control outcomes. Now, the ability to facilitate collaboration and teamwork factors in to a manager’s success. The sheer abundance of information, however, has forced leaders to reply on others. A Shift from traditional command-and-control culture to a leadership model based on trust, teamwork and free flow of ideas is necessary to survive. Leaders with the ability to influence an organization and promote an environment where new ideas from across the enterprise are not only welcomed, but demanded will succeed.
The requirement of a multi-generational workforce also makes it important for leaders to build collaboration and teamwork with their employees, and generational differences present just one source of diversity at work. Leveraging the diverse experience, opinions, and knowledge within the work group is a significant skill for today’s leaders. The best companies embrace diversity of thinking, believing a nonhomogeneous workforce results in greater innovation, faster.
Today’s leaders feel the impact of technology in significant ways. Simply think about the amount of information a typical supervisor receives, scans, processes, and disseminates as a result of technology at work. In addition, technology gives managers the possibility of leading employees who are remotely located for some or even all their workdays. Employees themselves want to be able to use technology to manage their own workflow. Recent study in the U.S cites a 2012 study that 56 percent of workers reported feeling most productive away from their offices. Frontline leaders have to learn to balance the empowerment technology offers their workers with the trust-building between supervisor and employee it requires.
While frontline and middle level managers are not expected to set business strategy, it is expected that they understand and translate that strategy for their employees. Frontline leaders need strong business acumen, communication skills and a collaborative mindset to understand organizational goals, communicate effectively with their teams and navigate expectations to reach desired business outcomes. At all levels of the organization, today’s leaders need to be able to align their employees with the goals of the business, and clearly communicate the connection between them.
Knowing yourself is probably one of the most critical keys to success. More than ever before, leaders at all levels of the organization need to be able to assess and reflect on their own skills and behaviors, ask for and accept feedback, and make changes to the way they lead. Self –awareness is linked to success, professional self-awareness and emotional self-awareness is necessary for driving leadership success. Leaders with professional self-awareness know their strengths and weaknesses. Leaders with emotional self-awareness are able to adapt to the needs of the situation, regardless of their own preferences and comfort levels. Self –awareness is the first step in professional development. It tells you where you are, so that you can decide where you want to go.
It is said that leaders were either born or acquired but must have innate characteristics to enable them to achieve their goals. Let’s examine the innate characteristics a leader needs to succeed. Leaders must lead people, lead change, develop long-term strategy, set direction, have influential power, be proactive, do the right things. Managers on the other hand is to manage work, maintain stability, determine short-term activities, plan details, have position power, be reactive and do things right.
Now, how does this all add up? Business demands that managers do more than just manage work. They have to lead people by engaging, influencing, collaborating and guiding. Factor in these elements and the answer to the equation is clear. Embracing the expended role brings success to leaders and their organizations, and it is my hope that leaders and managers in Ghana will rise up to the management and leadership challenges facing Ghana thereby securing our future as a competitive nation conducive for business investment and prosperity.
Long live Ghana and God bless Ghana.
Komla, the Peace Broker.
U.S.A.