Exclusive :"The Working Philosophies Of Chief Of staff, Abba Kyari ........................And A word Of Advice For Him

BY Mike Cerutti Osagie

In a very elaborate paper recently sent to WORLD LEADERS MAGAZINE by business monument and property developer,Dr Eunice Efole, tagged “5 TYPES OF LEADERS “ The original author, Daniel Harkavy was most emphatic in his views about  5 Kinds of Leaders we have today

1. The Self-Made Leader

This leader who did not have the privilege of been trained, educated, or coached to become a leader. Such a leader became successful by working so very hard to read, observe, and learn from painful mistakes. In view of how this leader emerged, he or she also expect everyone who wants to become a successful leader to take full responsibility

For his or her personal development. The inability to take anyone on a leadership development journey causes this leader to become a limited leader with limited influence. The key to breaking away from this kind of limitation as a leader is to take time out and attend a formal coaching or mentoring program that will enable this kind of leader to see and adopt practical models for developing leaders.

2. The "Perk-and-Pray" Leader:

This a leader who knows the importance of training and developing other leaders but does not know how to go about doing such hence, once in a while, he or she will send out his or her leaders to go out on training hoping that such events will automatically translate into their personal development forgetting, that it takes interaction to grow healthy leaders. Such leaders who don't know how to enlist, equip and empower leaders will benefit greatly by interacting with coaching leaders who are succeeding at doing so.

3. The "Outsourcing" Leader:

This is a leader who wants to focus on vision execution but also knows the value of training hence, such will outsource the training and development of the people to competent organizations based on the priorities and skill sets needed by his or her people and organization. The training is intentional and well funded.

4. The "Mentor" Leader:

Daniel Harkavy describes this kind of leader as one who was trained, mentored, coached and grew through the ranks hence, he or she is able to help others who respect and look up to him or her to be mentored. This kind of leader usually attracts potential leaders through "draft effect" as those who are inspired by his or her achievements or knowledge succeed also by drafting off on such a leader. Mentor leaders always attract potential leaders.

5. The "Coaching" Leader:

If you want to transition from the level of a good leader to that of a great leader, become a coaching leader. This kind of leader spends a greater part of his or her time coaching the next generation of leaders by inspiring them to unleash their untapped potentials in order to reach higher levels of leadership performance and effectiveness. Leaders and potential leaders always sign up to be in the network of such a highly resourced and experienced leader. The hallmark of a coaching leader is the desire to watch and celebrate the leaders they have coached becoming more successful than they are without losing their self-worth. If you want to be a Coaching Leader, you must be secured in your identity

Going through this different types of leaders, the name Abba Kyari simply came to my mind because not so long ago,  Nigeria’s leader  President Buhari   directed  all the incoming ministers to channel all requests for meetings with him through his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.

President Muhammadu Buhari gave the directive at the end of a presidential retreat for ministers-designate, presidential aides and other top government functionaries at the State House in Abuja.

Hear him “In terms of coordination, kindly ensure that all submissions for my attention or meeting requests be channeled through the Chief of Staff,

Indeed, recent recent media and social media reports on the responsibilities of the Chief of Staff to the President have suggested that the role has changed.

Has the role of COS changed?  Presidential aide Garba Shehu has this to say. "Today, under the Buhari II administration the role of Chief of Staff remains the same as it was under Buhari I.

"It is worth stressing that the role and responsibilities of the Chief of Staff and the method of communication and arranging to schedule between Cabinet members and the President are, in Nigeria, based on the US model, where the same system operates – and has done for decades – in precisely the same way.

"That role is to act as the head of the presidential administration at Aso Rock; to be an adviser to the President on any and all matters; to be the line manager for all staff at Aso Rock, and to manage appointments and scheduling for the President.

"In the traditional presidential system, it is a primary function of a Chief of Staff, which may vary according to the needs and desires of each President, to supervise key State House Staff, control access to the office and the person of the President, manage communications and information flow and this includes that which binds the relationship with the two other arms of government.

"During the President’s first term those were the responsibilities of the Chief of Staff, and they remain the same responsibilities today. There is no change."

But what is true role of Chief Of staff? What does a Chief of Staff do?

Our research led us to these conclusions…

The chief of staff role is defined by its ability to provide strategic counsel to key leaders within organizations. While the day-to-day responsibilities vary dramatically across industries and companies, the position is an increasingly critical component in supporting a successful leadership team. At its core, a Chief of Staff is responsible for:
 

1.     Serving as strategic advisor and counsel to leaders
 

2.     Assuming day-to-day responsibility for projects and tasks
 

3.     Creating and maintaining cross-departmental relationships to enable leadership success

How Does a Chief of Staff Fit Within an Organization?
 

A chief of staff is a critical hire within an organization given the position’s ability (and responsibility) to enable the success of leadership teams. The background of a chief of staff varies, but they are highly educated, often with a graduate degree, skilled and oftentimes have extensive experience leading teams. 

Whether the position is new for your organization or the evolution of an existing role, it’s beneficial to understand how the Chief of Staff will fit into your organization. In interacting with our clients, we highlight three critical paths in defining the roles and responsibilities of a chief of staff:
 

1.    Strategic Partner - A chief of staff is always there for the leader he works with. He is a trusted adviser who can be called on at any moment to provide support. This work includes:
 

·         Internal and external communications
 

·         Operational support
 

 

2.    Expands a Team’s Bandwidth and Resources - The right chief of staff has the skill and experience to integrate themselves into an organization quickly and assess issues that serve as barriers to a team or organization operating at maximum effectiveness. By taking on day-to-day tasks, an effective Chief of Staff is building a level of trust with her leader and enabling her boss to focus on larger strategic organizational initiatives. These daily tasks may include:
 

·         Team management
 

·         Meeting preparation
 

·         Strategic lead on high-profile projects
 

Hiring of key personnel

Now back to our case study, Abba Kyari, a lot has no doubt be said of this man, but those within the corridor of power spoke glowingly of his intelligence and wealth of work experience

A source very close to him told us that Abba Kyari is a man with a great reputation for discipline and accountability

He is also known for having a very strong work ethic and believes in the virtues of hard work, and remains one who hardly sings his praises, but key staffs often speaks glowingly of him as a man with zero tolerance for mediocrity

That he is again recently re appointed to continue his job in presidency is a testimony that he must be reliable ally to the president, and it will not be out of place to offer this few advice

As chief of staff, Kyari must be well connected with those reporting into the President and others across the organization to influence outcomes. This cross-functional perspective not only helps garner support for the leadership team, but also fosters long-term partnerships that are critical to country’s success, since his duties includes  

·         Setting a leader’s strategic priorities: Helping a leader identify the areas where they must direct their focus and identifying metrics for success. Revisiting regularly and evaluating progress.
 

·         Strategically managing a leader’s time: working with assistant, looking at long term travel calendar, evaluating opportunities and determining fit with priorities.
 

·         Meeting preparation and follow up: reviewing upcoming meetings for the week to ensure the leader has all of the information needed to be as productive as possible and sending out agendas or documents to meeting attendees as necessary

 

·         Monitoring presidential flow: Sometimes acting as a gatekeeper, ensuring the Presidents involvement in a project or decision-making process at the right moment.

Kyari must Endeavour to always play a father figure role and must do all his best to disassociate himself from sentimental or biased decision making, he must always ensure fair play and show respect and concern to all arms of Government

To Abba KYARI, we say good luck in the massive tasks ahead and best wishes

*KYARI: A BRIEF PROFILE

Abba Kyari is the Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari and was appointed to the position on 27 August 2015

Education

Abba Kyari graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology from the University Of Warwick, England in 1980.He also possesses a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law from the University Of Cambridge, England and was called to the Nigerian Bar after attending the Nigerian Law School in 1983. In 1984, he obtained a master's degree in law from the University of Cambridge. He later attended the International Institute for Management Development at Lausanne, Switzerland and participated in the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School, in 1992 and 1994.

Career

Abba Kyari worked for the law firm Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo for some time after his return to Nigeria From 1988 to 1990, he was Editor with the New Africa Holdings Limited Kaduna. In 1990 he served as Commissioner for Forestry and Animal Resources in Borno State. From 1990 to 1995, Kyari was Secretary to the Board of African International Bank Limited. Abba Kyari was Executive Director, Management Services, United Bank for Africa Plc. (UBA) and was later appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Bank. He was appointed a Director of Unilever Nigeria Plc. in 2002 and is a Director of Exxon Mobil Nigeria. He is a recipient of the Nigerian Honor Award of Officer of the Order of the Niger (O.O.N).

·         © Chief Osagie Mike De Cerutti~ An Author, philanthropic connoisseur , Global Mass Media management Consultant & Special adviser, sent this token tribute piece from his Abuja Nigeria base

·         He can be reached via: chiefcerrutti@gmail.com or whatsap +234 7042631895