Fola Adeola, a former managing director of GTbank, along with his team in the 90’s took the banking industry by surprise when the managing director took turn to serve as tellers in the bank, the bank that was just registering its presence in the industry. The interesting thing was that on all occasions when they showed up at those positions below their ranks, they dressed just like any of the staff.
They attended to customers with some air of perfection apparently to demonstrate to their staff how to do banking the correct way. And the magic caught on rapidly as many of their peers quickly jumped in and replicated the same customer service modelling. The leadership principle embedded in that demonstration is simple enough: rather than tell your subordinates what to do, you would achieve faster and better results by just showing them how to do it. This is also buoyed by another leadership theory that children do what they watch you do, and not what you tell them to do.
Could this be the leadership principle that is being demonstrated in these spectacular pictures of the Inspector General of Police (IG) – Mohammed Abubakar – fully dressed in Traffic Police uniform and controlling traffic at the popular Ministry of Finance Junction at Central Abuja.
In a striking show of service delivery, the IG was yesterday seen controlling traffic at the not-so-busy Ministry of Finance Headquarters junction, in the Central Business District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The IG, according to a source, was passing through the junction, which is not too far from the Police Headquarters and found it unmanned, and decided to stop and control vehicular traffic. The junction, on a work day, is usually very busy and often creates a near traffic snarl.
The gesture by the IG may not be unconnected with the wanting to demonstrate that he is a dutiful public servant, in accordance with the crusade of the “True Nigerian” group, led by the coordinator, Zakky Azzazy, the popular musician.
The group had staged a rally on the need to be a true Nigerian in every aspect of life.
Still in the show of performing strange and lowly tasks, the IG had also visited Garki Police Station, where he performed the role of a front Desk Officer known as Charge Room Officer and attended to a distressed citizen.
According to the Force Spokesperson, Mr. Frank Mba, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (AC), it was the first time a serving IG would perform such duties.
He said: “It was rare and spectacular for the IG Abubakar to fully dress in Traffic Police uniform and controlling traffic at the popular Ministry of Finance junction at Central Area, Abuja. It is the first time in the history of the force that a serving IG would perform such roles.
“But for Abubakar, it is a case of leadership by example, and perhaps, a direct way of reminding the junior ranks and the public that there is dignity in labour.”
And if President Goodluck Jonathan also heeds that call by General Theophilus Danjuma to personally lead the onslaught to the hottest Boko Haram spot, then it would be something leadership experts would have to put their eye on.
