PAULA LLEWELLYN, Acting Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, has said that too often some leaders allow their high office or status to cause them to forget that they exist to serve their fellowmen and the organisation.
She made the comments while addressing a recent meeting of the Kiwanis Club of East Kingston and Port Royal on effective leadership. The meeting took place at the Alhambra Inn, St. Andrew.
"Real confidence is the essence of a good leader. Unfortunately though a lot of persons pretend to have this quality, very often thorough analysis reveals rank insecurity and low self-esteem which I make bold to say, is any human being's worst enemy. I believe that it is this that causes a lot of young boys in this country to fall prey to being influenced by criminals," she said.
Good leadership, Miss Llewellyn said, was impossible without a guiding vision and a purpose that generated passion of accomplishment and service. She said it was marked by grit and character and ability to take advantage of an opportunity, drive, determination and an ability to motivate. It was able to meet and triumph over adversity in a positive way and instead of going under, adversity became a facilitator of the individual finding the core and best of the self.
She advised the Kiwanians that one way to strengthen their minds was to encourage and influence positive conduct. She said that could be achieved "by reading, treating people as you would have them treat you - with respect, by being professional, by committing to giving quality service and duty as you have sought to do in your Kiwanis Club, eschewing pettiness and small mindedness. This is especially so when people try to tear you down, tell lies on you, even put obstacles in your way or seek to drag you down to their negative level.
"I would encourage you to take the high road, rise above their negativity, never descend to their level. Very often these people are insecure and on a treadmill, competing against their own fears. Your positivity towards them may help them one day to see the futility of their action, especially the fact that their negativity cannot affect your mind. All this ensures ones success as a leader, charged with the constant responsibility to motivate others.
She described true leaders as those who motivated others and were not afraid to inspire others to develop their potential as future leaders. She said good leaders also encouraged their subordinates to maximise their potential and abuses of power were almost non-existent.
"There were some of us Jamaicans who believe that providing each other with good quality service is unthinkable but this favour should only be bestowed on tourists, persons with a lighter hue or an accent, saved for when we migrate to 'foreign' and have to work in an alien environment," Miss Llewellyn said. She also said that we must learn that our fellow Jamaicans deserve the best quality service and then visitors would also benefit from that culture of service.
