Sunday Ehigiator
President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, SAN, and Group Managing Director of Abuja Investments Limited, Ambassador Dr. Maureen Tamuno, have urged professionals and entrepreneurs to deploy their influence in the service of others, saying lasting leadership is measured by the people it empowers.
The two leaders made the call at the Abuja edition of Leadership Conversations, organised by The Lighthouse Network, with the theme, “Insight, Influence and Impact.”
Speaking before an invitation-only audience of professionals and entrepreneurs, Badejo-Okusanya, the 33rd President of NBA, said attaining a title or position should not be regarded as the culmination of a leader’s journey.
She said influence was often built long before an individual attained a formal position, stressing that the more important question is what a leader does with such influence once acquired.
Badejo-Okusanya drew from her personal journey, stating that she initially obtained a degree in English before returning to the classroom to study law.
Tamuno, in her remarks, said influence had its greatest reach when it was used to serve others. She said leaders were ultimately measured by the people they lifted along the way.
Founder of The Lighthouse Network, Dr. Nkiru Olumide-Ojo, who hosted the event, said knowledge and position had little value if they were not shared for the benefit of others.
Olumide-Ojo stated, “We posed three questions. What is insight if you keep it to yourself? It is wisdom that dies with you. What is influence if it only serves you? It is power with no purpose. What is impact if it ends when you leave the room? It was never impact. It was applause.
“Our speakers answered all three with their lives: give what you know, use your influence for others, and build what will last beyond you,” she said.
Olumide-Ojo also presented The Lighthouse Network’s Marketplace Readiness framework, which she said was designed to equip young professionals with the skills, mind-set, and exposure required to thrive in the workplace of today and tomorrow.
The Lighthouse Network, founded by Olumide-Ojo, focuses on the professional development of working professionals and entrepreneurs, whom it refers to as “CareerPreneurs.”
The organisation delivers its programmes through initiatives, including Leadership Conversations, the Marketplace Readiness programme, skills development and access to senior professional networks.