Maxwell’s laws of leadership and Sen. Helen Esuene BY MERCY ITA

Ibom Consolidated Assembly (ICA), a frontline socio-political organization based in Akwa Ibom State, on the 5th of April 2014 at Sheer Grace Centre, Uyo, while inaugurating its national executive gladly and willingly answered the above poser by accepting to cue behind the governorhip aspiration of the senator.  ICA members during the event said that they have checked and cross –checked over and over again with a view to knowing where to pitch their tent concerning 2015 guber race and the only aspirant among the litany of aspirants that have come out  and has met the criteria of a good leader is Distinguished Sen Helen Esuene. In other words, the cap of a governor fits her so well; hence, their unanimous decision to openly declare their support for her. They went further to state that some of the attributes of the dist senator that endeared the group to her among others include her resoluteness, her sense of commitment and purpose, humility, intelligence, dedication to service, and her unselfish disposition in life.

To add to what ICA members had said, dist senator Helen Esuene is a woman of honour and integrity, a politician of no mean repute and a well known entrepreneur, who is ready to use her entrepreneurial skill and her wealth of experience in politics to turn around the fortunes of Akwa Ibom people come 2015. To describe and present the dist sen in a proper perspective, some of the laws of leadership propounded by Maxwell explain better who Sen Helen Esuene is.
One of the laws of leadership according to Maxwell is ‘The Law of Inner Cycle’.

What this means is that as a leader whom do you surround yourself with. In other words, if you surround yourself with mediocres, people without a purpose, vision and integrity, then you are bound to behave like them. If you relate the law of inner cycle to Dist Sen Helen Esuene, you will agree with me that she is a woman of integrity, goodwill and good conscience who surrounds herself with people of integrity, hardwork, and vision among other good qualities. Which means when she succeeds in 2015 as a governor of Akwa Ibom State, the policies that her government will formulate will generate outcomes that will bring positive changes in the lives of the people of the state.

Another law of leadership by Maxwell that can be used to describe the personality of Dist Senator Helen Esuene is the ‘The Law of Respect’. Respect they say is reciprocal. A good leader, this law believes must respect himself or herself and also respect his or her followers, not minding the age, sex, religion and tribe of the people involved. Dist Senator Helen Esuene is a woman who respects herself in all ramifications. Put differently, she is very conscious of what she says and does bearing in mind that people are watching her. She indulges in respecting people’s opinion especially when it is objectively and constructively expressed and even if it is not, she knows how to handle such opinion diplomatically without hurting and or insulting the sensibilities of the people involved. When leaders show respect for others especially for people who have less power or are in a lower position than theirs, they gain respect from others and that is what Dist Sen Helen Esuene stands for. She is a woman who commands a lot of respect in the society.

Another law is ‘The Law of Connection’.  A good leader touches the heart of people before he or she asks for a hand. In other words, for leaders to be effective, they need to connect with people and by so doing develop credibility with them. Getting connected with people means you really care and wants to help them. It means you know your followers or audience, and knowing your audience means you know their names, histories and what their dreams are. Dist Senator Helen Esuene possesses the qualities embedded in this law. As a senator representing Akwa Ibom South South Senatorial District, Mrs Helen Esuene knows almost all her followers by names and where they come from. She had cared for quite a good number of them. Apart from getting connected to her followers, Dist Sen Helen Esuene also got connections internationally, nationally, and locally which is what a good politician or a leader needs to excel in his or her chosen career.

‘The Law of Process’ is another way our governor come 2015 can be described. The law posits that leadership is learned overtime and it can be learned. That is to say, people’s skills, emotional strengths, vision and momentum are all areas that can and should be learned.  For our information, the Dist Sen is not a learner as far as the issue of governance is concerned. She has passed through the different stages of governance over the years, right from her teen years. And we know she will bring this experience to bear when she becomes the next governor of this state in 2015.

The Law of Sacrifice: This law believes that a great leader will always focus on others not on himself or herself, believe them and give them a hope. Furthermore, that leaders are dealers in hope because when you give people hope you give them a future. A good leader sacrifices his or her time, energy and family happiness for others. The Law of Sacrifice perfectly states who Dist Senator Helen Esuene is. She has actually sacrificed her time, energy and the happiness of her family members to serve humanity and she is not complaining neither is she tired of doing it.

Another law of leadership by Maxwell which can also describe one of the good leadership qualities of the Senator is ‘The Law of Addition’. The law believes that leaders add value by serving others. This woman of substance without mincing words has added value to lives of so many people who come her way. Is it in terms of employment, giving of scholarship to indigent students, payment of school fees to students or provision of working tools to those who engage in private businesses, just name them, Dist Helen Esuene has been the answer. She has affected the lives of most people positively and will continue to do so till thy kingdom come. And our prayer is that since she desires to further add more value to the lives of Akwa Ibom people by serving them come 2015, God will make her to succeed.

The Law if Magnetism further describes who Sen Helen Esuene is. The law states that who you are is who you attract. That is to say, if you want to attract better people, become the kind of person you desire to attract.  This law corroborates the law of inner cycle which says that you are the kind of people whom you surround yourself with. As earlier mentioned, the Dist Senator as a good politician and entrepreneur attracts people of like-minds to herself and as a leader with charisma she is always carrying people along. She is not a selfish woman so with that she will attract more resources and wealth to Akwa Ibom State when she becomes the governor in 2015.

The Law of Priority: A good leader this law believes must always get his or her priorities right and act on them in time. Getting your priorities right means you arrange them in the order of importance. Relate this law to the lifestyle of Dist Sen Helen Esuene, and you will be amazed to know that she is a master planner who knows how to order her priorities. This she will bring to bear in the governance of Akwa Ibom State for the optimum benefit of the people of the state. A person who never orders his or her priorities is as good as not having anything in mind to do. But for Dist Sen Helen Esuene , she is a priority setter.

The Law of Picture: This law posits that you set the example. In other words, what you do as a leader is what others will follow. How a leader portrays herself or himself matters, the example she or he sets is very important. That is to say,if a leader acts contrary to what she or he preaches or says, then she or he is not a good leader. For those who know the Dist Sen, she is what she says and does. She does not pretend and will never pretend. She is a role model to most people in the society and I am one of them. A good leader goes in front and takes things serious. That is Dist Sen Helen Esuene!

The Law of Empowerment: This law states that only great leaders give power to others. Mark Twain said ‘Great things can happen when you don’t care who gets the credit’. Another point to ponder is ‘Great leaders gain authority by giving it away’.  What this means is that, great leaders gain respect and power by delegating authority to others. It means as a leader you must empower your followers and or the people working with you by making them feel comfortable. This, the Dist Senator has done and she intends to do more come 2015.

The Law of Victory: This law believes that a good leader must always find a way to win. The victory she or he wins becomes the victory for all. Such a leader needs perseverance, tactics, intuition and sometimes the solid ground (past glory) to win. These the Senator has got. She is a winner all the time. She won her senatorial election in 2011 and she is sure to win her governorship race in 2015 beginning with nomination this 2014 by the special power and grace of God, in Jesus name amen.

The Law of Legacy: This law opines that every individual needs to leave a legacy either in his or her family or in the workplace or anywhere duty demands but it must be a good legacy. In other words, wherever you find yourself, especially in position of leadership, do something that posterity will remember you for. 

To say that the Dist Senator has got so many legacies in life is an understatement. Go to Cross River State, the legacies of The Esuenes are there, come to Akwa Ibom State the legacies are there too and more legacies she will leave behind after her reign as the governor of this state come 2015 are coming. In the business world, go to Villa Marina Hotel in Eket, and other businesses of hers, I’m sure you will be convinced beyond every reasonable doubt that dist Sen Helen Esuene is an embodiment of good legacies. Her vision to take Akwa Ibom to a greater height from 2015 will surely add more legacies and value to the people of our great state.
The Law of Solid Ground: The law believes that trust is the foundation for all effective leadership. Put differently, when it comes to leadership, there are no shortcuts. Building trust requires competence, connection and character and Mma Esuene has got all of these and many more. She has been tested and trusted!

The Law of Momentum: This law believes that you cannot steer a ship that is not moving forward, that it takes a leader to create forward motion. It is a well known fact that the Executive Governor of our dear state Chief Dr Godswill Obot Akpabio (CON) has created a lot of momentum in the state by steering Akwa Ibom project very well. So, Dist Senator Helen Esuene who has steered so many ships in the past and even now and had landed successfully will build on the successes of His Excellency Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio to create more positive forward motions as she takes over from him in 2015.

The Law of Timing: Time is of great essence, so the saying goes. That is to say when to lead is as important as what to do and where to go. On the right action at the right time will bring success. So, leaders must be time conscious in all their doing. For the Dist Senator, time is wealth, therefore she is always time conscious. There is nothing like ‘African time’ in her life.

The Law of influence: A leader according to this law should be influential and should use that influence positively not negatively. The Dist Senator is using her influence in the society to serve the down trodden and humanity as a whole. She is using her influence to take her followers to a commanding height.
The Law of Reproduction: This law states that it takes a leader to raise up a leader. In other words, it takes a leader to know one, show one the way and to grow one. It is a well known fact that the potential of any organization, a nation or group depends on the growth of its leadership. Here, leadership must train and groom more leaders. Believe you me, Dist Senator has raised many leaders by grooming them and employing them into various leadership positions in her businesses. I am one of the persons she is grooming to become a leader tomorrow, what a case in point!

The Law of Intuition: The law of intuition is based on facts coupled with instincts plus other intangible factors such as organizational momentum, followers’ morale and relationship dynamics. Leadership intuition means leaders are readers of their situation. Having the ability to know what is going on. Leaders this law believes are readers of trends, readers of themselves, readers of people and readers of resources. Relate the law of intuition to Dist Senator Helen Esuene and you will be right to say that she is a reader of events, herself, people and resources. She has combined all these attributes to get to where she is today and she intends to further use these attributes among others   to create wealth for the people of Akwa Ibom State if elected into office as the governor in 2015. Let’s encourage and support  her.

The Law of E. F. Huton: Huton was America’s most influential stock market analyst. When he speaks, everyone listens. That means, when real leaders speak, people automatically listen. The Dist Senator has great command of words, and whenever she speaks people must listen to her. Her voice, her beauty, her intelligence and good coordination of English language endeared people to listen to her whenever she speaks either in a formal or informal setting.

The Law of Navigation: The law of Navigation states that anyone can steer the ship but it takes a leader to chart the course. Vision is defined as the ability to see the whole trap before leaving the dock. So a leader will always see obstacles before others do. Leaders see more, see farther and see before others. Therefore, my people, the Senator has seen farther than us and that is why she is saying that if given the mantle of leadership in 2015, she will make Akwa Ibom State a better place than she will meet it. So why not give her the chance! She has what it takes, taking all the qualities listed above among others too numerous to mention into consideration, the dist senator is the rightful person to succeed Gov Akpabio in 2015.  

In other words, if connection is what will be used in determining who governs the state in 2015, she has it, if it is respect, she commands it, if it is experience and gathering of momentum she is there, if it is influence, she’s got it, if it is on time consciousness, please give it to her,x if it is on how to set priorities right, just count on her, if it is on how to navigate to get success, she knows how to steer the ship, if it is on how to add value to lives, she has done it before and is still doing it and will continue to do it, if it is on legacy, Esuene is a household name in Akwa Ibom/ Cross River States and Nigeria as a whole and if it is on how to empower and create wealth for people she is number one, just name them!

Therefore, if you are still sitting on the fence and do not know where to pitch your tent, or if you had joined a different group already which we know will not lead you to anywhere, please make a u-turn today by joining ICA and teeming supporters of Dist Senator Helen Esuene’s governorship aspiration to say I am on your side ma. You stand to benefit greatly because God Almighty is on her side too. He giveth power and He will gladly give it to her come 2015 in Jesus name, amen. Jesus is Lord!