Leadership is never by age or size – Tamale North MP tells students in Wa

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale North, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, has urged students and young people to, no matter their ages and circumstances, dare to take up leadership roles and step up to create a better future for all.

Mr Suhuyini said this at a Leadership and Entrepreneurship Summit organized by the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) of the SDD University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD UBIDS) in Wa held over the weekend.

The summit held under the theme, “Igniting the Spirit of Leadership and Entrepreneurship” brought together students, entrepreneurs, motivational speakers, and political and academic professionals for learning and sharing.

“Leadership has very little to do with age, it has very little to do with size. It’s all in the mind, it’s in the attitude, it’s in the thinking, and doing so creatively and doing so outside the box,” he told the hundreds of students at the summit.

Defining what leadership meant, the MP quoted Norman Schwarzkopf that “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”

The MP asserted that character meant everything to a person as it defines the individual’s personality and how they relate with other people, think about issues, and react to situations.

“I dare say character is everything. And it is the reason why boiling water softens yams and hardens eggs.

“With the right character and attitude, everyone can be a leader because the ‘leadership spirit’ is the innate ability every human possesses. However, the ‘spirit of leadership’ are the attitudes needed to truly manifest as leaders,” Mr Suhuyini said.

He likened ‘leadership spirit’ and the ‘spirit of leadership’ to the hardware and software components of a computer respectively as he said “without the spirit of leadership, the leadership spirit will remain dormant.”

The Tamale North lawmaker said leadership and entrepreneurship were closely linked as he defined entrepreneurial spirit as a self-motivated attitude and mentality that drives a person to fulfill their potentials and purpose.

He said the spirit of entrepreneurship creates leaders who are action-oriented, productive, decisive, inspirational, innovative, and self-sacrificing and that “when someone has entrepreneurial spirits, their words, their thoughts, and their actions and behaviours reflect the leadership qualities they demonstrate.”

“Entrepreneurial spirit is a mentality and a type of intrinsic motivation that drives change and innovation. It pushes people to take on complex challenges, innovate, and make the world a better place.

“It is most common in change makers who are tired of living the status quo and decided to use their gifts to make a positive difference on earth,” he added.

Mr Suhuyini noted that entrepreneurs think differently, some crazy, misfits, rebels, trouble makers, and square pegs in round holes, and others who see things differently and are not fond of rules.

With the different entrepreneur types, he said “You can quote them, you can disagree with them, you can glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is to ignore them because they change things, they push the human race forward.”

He reiterated that leadership and entrepreneurial skills are not just for business success but essentials life skills required by every person to navigate smoothly the ever-changing landscape of the world.