By Mabel Elsher
In a democratic society,the citizens’ rights are more than the right to vote. In a democratic system, citizens have the right to speak, be heard and participate in public discourse.
They also have the right to expect transparency and accountability from their leaders—this also applies to the relationship between boss and subordinates in the corporate world.
In ‘traditional leadership’ roles, accountability is similar to a one way street where leaders hold themselves accountable to no one(especially not their subordinate) except their conscience.
Being accountable to one’s subordinate can be likened to being vulnerable—which is seen as a weakness but is it?.
I would argue that vulnerability can indeed be a strength for leaders in corporate and even governmental positions.
Today’s world has drifted towards human-centric leadership and a balanced relationship between leader and subordinate is a crucial factor if any organisation or body wants to survive the fierce competition.
And this is applicable in any industry,for instance,when a leader has fostered a good relationship with his subordinates there will be a free flow of ideas especially as nobody is an island of ideas.
In a human-centric environment,there will be no fear of getting their opinion rejected just because ‘they are subordinates’ and with diverse opinions being welcomed, the organisation is bound to progress swiftly.
Also,leaders should not be compelled to put up the image that they’ve got everything under control.
It’s okay for your subordinates to know things are not quite moving right and in a human-centric environment, solutions will be provided faster.
By embracing our imperfections and being open to feedback,we can create a more collaborative and innovative world.
And as we strive to achieve this,let us remember that vulnerability, transparency and accountability are essential in fostering growth in any sector of our endeavour– Governmental, Corporate,etc.
Editor’s Note: Mabel Elsher is a final year English and Literary study student from the University Of Calabar.
Mabel is a poet, a creative writer and a columnist. You can reach out to Mabel via Streetnews editor on cletusasuquo039@gmail.com.
