The former president of Costa Rica, Jose-Maria Figueres has revealed attributes leaders must imbibe in order to make remarkable impact on their followers.
The former president was a guest speaker at the 2015 Access leadership conference facilitated by Access Bank.
Speaking in an exclusive chat with Naij.com, Figueres enumerated the three imperative qualities.
Jose-Maria Figueres, the former president of Costa Rica
”Different people has different concepts of what it takes to be a good leader. In my definition, the first quality is you have to be a good listener. If you don’t listen to people you don’t learn and apparently if you don’t learn, you are not aware of everything you should be,” he said.
Figueres added that it is imperative for leaders to be good team players and be willing to admit mistakes.
”Leadership is a lonely place. We have to take decision when we lead but being part of team, working together to take a decision with people is very important because many people in a team think better than one person.
Read more of what he has to say below
L-R: Jose-Maria Figueres and Steve Wozniak, co- founder Apple USA
”The third element is wiliness to admit when mistakes are made. You know we are humans. We try to make the best decisions but sometimes we make mistakes and the best thing is to apologise, ask for forgiveness and move,” he advised.
Speaking on his greatest legacies while in office , the former president referred to the innovation that happened in his country through the introduction of technology which are exported the world over.
”The second thing is looking at the environment as something to be respected, as a source of economy which has done very well to promote our eco-tourism which today is the second dollar-earning sector in the country,” he added.
Interactive session for panelists
He expressed satisfaction at the discussion topics of the conference and the key note speakers at the conference.
The key note speakers and other guests at the conference included Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Herbert Wigle, managing director/chief executive officer, Access Bank, Aliko Dangote, Steve Wozniak, co- founder Apple USA, among other prominent professionals in the business world.
Aliko Dangote (middle) and other guests at the confab
The confab, courtesy Access Bank, was capped “Leading in a Transformational World – The Imperative of Innovation”. It also featured some prominent chief executive officers, entrepreneurs, politicians, business owners , experts in digital technology, broadcast, banking, governance, finance, new media and fashion who took turns to share their thoughts on entrepreneurship, impact of social media on entrepreneurship and digital marketing.
During his remarks, managing director Access Bank said the conference should enable every one ask the important question ‘‘if Nigeria’s literacy level was 100%?, Innovation is no longer an option but an absolute necessity.”
Figueres who is visiting Nigeria for the third time was impressed that democracy has taken a root in Nigeria with the successful transition from one democratically elected president to another.
However, he advised the federal government to think of ways to diversify the economy.
‘‘Now there are challenges in the road ahead. Prices of oil has dropped compared to the last time I was here. That means Nigerian government has to find a way to diversify the economy and that will require a good amount of renovation. The government should focus on a product that will compete favourably in the economy like oil,’’ he advised.
No comments:
Post a Comment