Professor Kwahu Atuahene-Gima, the Founder and President of Nobel International School (NiBS), says there is the need for ‘theoretically sound’ leaders for development.
He said leaders were more likely to make mistakes due to their inability to understand and provide logical explanations to their actions.
The founder of NiBS said if many decisions were taken without logical reasoning, development and progress would be low, hence the need for leaders to understand the logic behind their behaviours.
Professor Atuahene-Gima said this during the Future-Ready Leadership Summit, which was organised by NiBS, on the theme, ‘Reimagining Leadership in a World of Unrelenting Change.’
The Future-Ready Leadership Summit aimed to address the challenges facing nations, companies and organisations vulnerable to new technological developments, globalisation, Climate Change, COVID-19 and the others yet to occur.
He said the political and social changes arising from these developments were leading to an increasingly profou
nd shift in the nature and role of leadership in government, private and public sector organisations.
The founder of NiBS said leaders at all levels faced unrelenting change and unprecedented challenges, requiring them to be agile, adaptable, and visionary to build future-ready organisations having the agility to prosper in the tumultuous present while being future-focused.
‘There are lots of discourse about leadership in Ghana, Africa and across the world, and that various aspects of leadership have been explained and deliberated on for a while but what is missing is the real meaning of leadership,’ he added.
Professor Atuahene-Gima said after successful research in Ghana to find out whether leaders knew about future-ready leadership, results proved that over 80 per cent of leaders did not like change and almost 75 per cent did not know about the concept of future-ready leadership.??
Mr Sam Jonah, the Executive Chairman of Jonah Capital and Equity Fund, said in today’s world, change was not just a consta
nt, but accelerating, and that technological advancements, shifting global markets, and emerging societal challenges required rethink of leadership.
He said future-ready leaders were prepared to handle the known and adept at navigating the unknown, adding that these leaders possess a unique blend of flexibility, critical thinking, and the courage to innovate.
The Executive Chairman said preparing for multifaceted challenges ahead required a commitment to personal and professional growth, fostering a culture that elevated building expertise and resilience.
‘Through mentorship, leadership opportunities at all levels, and recognition of aligned leadership behaviours, we can cultivate the resilience and expertise necessary for the uncertain future,’ he added.
Dr Kenneth Ashigbey, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, said future-ready organisations must actively plan for their technological futures now by having roadmaps in place for how technology could transform their ways
of working.
‘I have recently in my own outfit charged all managers to clearly indicate in their monthly reports how they are using new technologies to better do their work and better serve our members,’ he said.
The CEO said future-ready organisations must develop detailed strategies and execute flawlessly with agility, adding that the strategies should have at their core environmental and social responsibilities, and must be documented, specific and measurable.
He urged all to embrace the spirit of transformation, and of possibility, and embark on the journey of reimagining leadership with courage, creativity, and conviction.
Source: Ghana News Agency
