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    Martin Oduor-Otieno
    Leadership Academy

    Your premier online leadership learning and development platform.
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  • A premier

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    and Development Platform

    Designed for senior leaders, managers, team leaders, project managers,
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Welcome to Martin Oduor-Otieno Leadership Academy

Welcome to the Martin Oduor-Otieno Leadership Academy, your premier online leadership learning and development platform. Created to celebrate the leadership achievements of a respected and renowned corporate leadership guru, the academy provides an opportunity for leaders across ages, positions, sectors and industries to learn from Martin’s experiences and also from interactions with other learners and instructors.

The Academy runs structured programmes that provide learners with the opportunity to research, share learning points and perspectives and explore leadership paradigms and approaches through case studies, online chats, in-depth discussions and face to face conversations.

The Academy gives assignments, tests and papers to interrogate if learning has taken place and issues certificates of completion to participants to signify successful participation in the various leadership programmes that will be on offer from time to time.

Join us on this great leadership journey that promises to deliver you to your desired leadership destination.

MARTIN’S LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY

" I have learnt a lot of lessons on leadership. Some have come through exploration and discovery. Others have simply found their way to me, through life experience. Indeed, learning is of at least two types. Sometimes we set out to find out things. This kind of leadership is often driven by some gain motivation.    But i have also found out that you can learn differently about leadership and   that leadership begins with inspiration. It is inspiration that goes with vision. The leader must have a sense of direction, faith and belief in something – a kind of vision that people can pursue. Everywhere, people are looking for something positive in their lives.    You must therefore demonstrate the capacity to deliver them to the land of your collective dreams. "

 - Excerpt from my book Beyond the shadows of my dream

To me leadership is about the following:  

Inspiration

A leader must inspire people towards a bigger vision. He must give them something to believe in and to look forward to.

Not a lone ranger

When you are a leader you cannot be a lone ranger. You must demonstrate through action that everyone has a stake in the organisation’s fortunes. Everyone must know what is expected of them and how they are going to contribute towards the realisation of shared goals.

Consensus building

A lot of false starts result out of absence of consensus. Boardroom wars are fought basically because people are not able to build consensus. It is not easy to build consensus without starting at the top. If you do not build consensus among the top leaders, the consequences come back to haunt you.

Prioritise

There are many things competing for your attention and resources. You only have 24 hours in a day. What is it that you need to do, that you can do so well that can have the kind of impact that will be seen and felt? Have clear goals and priorities. You cannot do everything. But even as you do these things, you must travel with the team.

Build an effective team

It has often been said that two heads are better than one. This is not an empty cliché. A lot of institutions in history have collapsed because leaders did not build sustainable teams. You build teams so that what you have begun will outlive you.

Subscribe to values

Things like honesty, trust, and integrity are extremely important. What do you believe in that can rub off on people? What do you want to be known for, to be remembered for? You must bring to life the values that you believe in.

Take time to learn

Learn the people. Learn the organisation. You cannot know everything. You can never be the alpha and omega. With today’s generation X, Y, Z etc., yesterday’s leadership styles do not work, do not inspire. Leaders must continue to reinvent themselves, to learn what makes their teams tick, and create the right environment that will result in successful and sustainable organisations.

Monitor and evaluate

Where are you going with all your values and objectives? You need to know where you are on your visionary journey. This comes out of honest evaluation and constant monitoring.

Role modelling

Many young people lose faith in older people and in society generally because there are no role models. The modelling aspect is lost because people think that they are leaders only for sometimes and then can take time off. This is not true. When you are a leader, you are a leader everywhere all the time even at home. Our youth today yearn for role models, and leaders must provide this.

Emotional intelligence

Do you understand the people you lead? Do you have some emotional bonding with them? You are not leading brick and mortar. You cannot lead people by driving them like a slave owner. Emotional intelligence requires leaders to understand and empathise with their teams, make balanced decisions and put their emotions under control.

Diversity

In Africa, diversity – or lack of it – is a big issue. My experience is that often, people in leadership lose sight of the import of diversity. You may think that having six out of eight people in your organisation from one ethnic community, one gender, and so on, is fine, and is nothing to be apologetic or embarrassed about. What you consider as fine might not be fine to everybody.

Decision making

A leader must lead. A leader must make decisions. You cannot bury your head in the sand when things are not working. You must stand up and provide direction and guidance as often as your people require to be led. A leader does not sit on the fence. The team must be clear what decision is made and where the leader stands on issues.

Communication

The leader must constantly communicate with the people. There must be constant dialogue. If people are not hearing anything from you, they will draw their own conclusions about things and about you and your leadership. There must be a system of communication that cascades information all the time. A leader is therefore a communicator. He must create a culture that helps people to know what is happening.

Looking into the future

Managing expectations is one of the foremost challenges that leadership must address. Your people have expectations about tomorrow. How are you managing them? There are people at home who impact on how you operate away from home. A leader must also be at the frontline of innovation and change.

Motivation and mentoring

Leadership is about motivating and encouraging your team members to pursue greater achievements. As a leader you mentor, support and facilitate. As a leader you must mentor people and help them to bring out the very best in them.

Legacy

Today, it is common to hear leaders talk about legacy. What will you be remembered for, when you are gone? It is important that you will be remembered for something. This notion must be inculcated into people from very early on. And leaders must leave a positive legacy, for posterity. Herein lies the challenge of leadership.
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