LDP-Momodou K Sowe

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Name: Momodou K Sowe Index: 68772017Lecturer: Dr. Esi Ansah Date: 08/12/ 2015

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My Leadership Development Plan

My chronicle journey as a leader, and my reflection as a servant leader today

My goal is to combine technology and social entrepreneurship to lift people out of poverty. I have a plan

of starting a Tech company in the Gambia in the nearby future that will help me accomplish my goal,but

with what leadership style?Throughout my Leadership I, II, and III classes here at Ashesi, I never settle on

a leadership style I would like to use to run this dream company, until in my Leadership IV class, where I

was introduce to a new concept of leadership, Servant Leadership! Initially, I was not convinced that this

leadership style is effective enough to run my company. I thought of it as an ineffective, and weak way of

leading. It was a style I just could not fit in the "men box" features Tony Porter discussed, and I did not

believe I would like to adopt either.

However, from the reading materials we were given in class, "Animal Farm", "Focus on leadership",and

"How to change the world", later I came to understand Servant-Leadership from different angles. Drawing

examples from servant-leaders around the globe and from my own life experiences. One thing I learnt from

Greenleaf about servant Leadership in the "Focus on Leadership book" that forever shifted the way I used

to think about servant leadership is this: Servant Leadership begins with the natural feeling that one wants

to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. This definition made me

question my dream. Do I really want to lead or serve? Do I just want to be label as the leader of company

of X because it feels good to be so? Or do I want to solve a social problem effectively? I kept battling with

these questions in mind for some time.

As my quest for the meaning of this leadership style continue, I came across one quote from Mahatma

Gandhi that really put me into practice, The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of

others. I wanted to try this. I played a wise game here; I started taking Leadership roles in group

assignments while practicing just two of the qualities of Servant Leaders Greenleaf highlighted in the book

"Focus on Leadership", Listening and Empathy. I started putting myself in the tasks deeply like I never


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did before in my previous courses. I started serving the groups to the best of my ability, going that extra

mile just to see the group through. At the end of the day, not only did I feel some sorts of joy,

accomplishment, recognition and respect from my team, it boosted my group participation grades, made

me start understanding my courses deeply, and I was always made the group leader!

After going through this experience, I was deeply convinced that this Leadership style I tested, has the

potentials to strengthen the pillars of my dream company. In the past I have handle many leadership

positions of which I performed badly. I usually wanted the title but not interested in serving at all. However

my experience of this leadership style made me not care about just filling leadership positions now, but

rather ask myself do I really want to serve the people when in that position, or do I find a problem that

hinders the community, that I am passionate about and can only help solve when in that leadership position,

for I agree to Klau Maxs advice to social change that "committing to the problem both inwards and

outwards in my quest to create social change, has a long enduring feature!"

Autobiography of myself at age 100

As a child growing up in Banjul, the capital city of The Gambia, in the late 1990s with three elder

brothers, I never had the feeling of low self-esteem.Mybrothers were always there for me against

childhood bullies. I stayed in this place for 13 years while attending primary school in a Government School,

Muhammedan Lower Basic School. I was the second overall best student in the class and the best math

student. I was also part of the few students chosen across the city for cricket gaming. While there, I assumed

leadership positions in both Mathematics and in the cricket gaming field among my peers. I started

them about these newly gained skills which they loved. I had the desire to serve them which I will

later come to understand as true Servant Leadership!

At the age of 13, my family moved to a village away from the city, Kunkujang. In this new

community, I enrolled in a newly built junior high school. My badge was the first badge of the school.


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Despite the fact it was difficult for me to integrate initially, I still persist and remain to work hard in school.

I was the best student in the school and also the captain of my community football team, Remix F.C. In my

capacity as the captain of the team, I exercised one of the four Es of Leaders Jack Welch highlighted, and

that is toenergizethe group! I was responsible for organizing trainings and friendly games. My leadership

here was on the rise!

At the age of 16, I started my high schooling in one of the best government senior high schools then in the

country, Nusrat Senior Secondary School. This school admit student from across the country. It was highly

competitive! I was in a class with brightest students from across the country. Though, I was not the best

academic student in my class nor the best in sports, I came to appreciate the diversity of humans, and had

the opportunity to network myself with people who will later become Gambia's destiny shapers! One thing

I will later come to learn from this experience is that I always do not have to win. I appreciated myself for

who I am and competed myself to grow all the time in all angles.

Upon completing high school, I started teaching. I was posted in the then president's village, Kanilai, very

far from where I stayed and a fully cultural area. It was tough for me to stay away from my family then, but

I forced myself to be off the comfort zone! I was there teaching Agricultural Science in a Junior High

School for 4 months. In this new environment, I came to see the different diverse cultures that exist in my

country, build up my leadership qualities as a leader, learnt to be self-reliant and more importantly, lead me

to a more global appreciation of things! I was exposed and becoming more open-minded! I was molded to

become a tough leader! Again possessing one of the qualities of Leaders Jack welch highlighted, edge.

This experience I will later come to understand prepared me for a journey I will come to undertake in two

years to come, and that is my journey to Ashesi University College, Ghana.

In late 2012, I earn myself a scholarship to study a diploma course in Information Technology at the

University of The Gambia. I was part of the few students in the country who got this kind of opportunity.

Come with that opportunity though, was a lesson that will forever change my perception about myself; I


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came to see that I am part of the next generation of Leaders who will shape the future of this country. The

ability to project into the future which is describe by Greenleaf as foresight, enables me to better managed

myself and to plan my life better for the struggle ahead.

In 2013, I was awarded a MasterCard Foundation Scholarship by Ashesi University College. This is a

scholarship given to young bright but needy Africans who showed the potentials and desire to drive change

in the continent. This university is grounded on the vision to educate new generation of ethical and

entrepreneurial Leaders in Africa. It was the perfect place for me to develop my leadership potentials and

entrepreneurial spirit. In this university I sharpen my Tech skills, Leadership skills, and more importantly

made an all-rounded somebody.

During the summer of 2015, I made lots family visits around West Africa in search of my meaning. I passed

through the boarders of many countries seeing many injustice practices, and corruptions happening

especially in countries with low literacy rate. In The Gambia, economic activities was declining. Majority

of the young people were everyday trying to illegally migrate to Europe through Libya and then to Italy,

"back way". The country was dry and lonely. Government workers were not well paid and has no motivation

to deliver to the best of their ability. I remember holding a motivational seminar in my former junior high

school and I was suck with the caliber of students and teachers I met. The administration was weak.

Teachers do not care about students performance and students too on the hand do no t take their education

seriously. This experience will later come to shape my future plans.

What I experienced in The Gambia, shifted the way I used to think about myself and plans I had. It change

my plan from wanting to start a tech company to founding a university to help tackle this problem, for I

saw the future of Gambia and Africa in general lies in education! I however, never decided to go back

home until I am well-off and well-connected enough to challenge the status quo! Because The Government

was autocratic and do everything they feel like. This ambition to come and help solving this problem, I will

later come to understand in my leadership class as true example of social entrepreneurship!


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Back to Ashesi in my third year, I challenge myself to be part of the MasterCard students who will be going

to the US for the 2016 conveying program. As for that, I believe would help better understand the idea of

giving back and also networked myself with other social change makers around the globe. In addition,

summer 2016, I earned an internship with a tech company in Kenya where I worked ad as a web developer,

a skill I learnt during my Leadership IV service learning week. These opportunities networked me well with

other people from around the globe who will become lifelong friends and potential supporters of my idea.

In Google, I work for 10 years as a software developer and got married at my 5th year, the age of 30. I got

married to lady who is more spiritually build up than I do, nice, and loves me too which all matters to me.

While working here, I was also doing research on the feasibility of my new idea, founding a Liberal Art

University in The Gambia, and also pursuing an MBA program. At the age of 35, I left the US for The

Gambia to lead the change I once dream of as a way of giving back to the Community.

Initially, it was difficult, scary, and challenging to get me started. However, this David Borntein's statement

get me started:"every change begins with a vision and a decision to take action". It put me on my feet!

Another lesson I learnt from my Leadership lecturer at Ashesi, Dr. Esi Ansah that help me going is to "do

things I am passionate about as that will see me through during the toughest of all times". Also, from Dr.

Patrick is "passion is suffering". I knew I was deeply passionate about the project I was about to undertake.

I also knew that the problem negatively affected people around me whom I deeply felt for and still for.

Understanding all these, aided me to see my dream become a reality.

After several years of toiling and moiling through the waves of the earth to see my dream become a reality,

I have earn myself several international awards for the work I am doing to shape the future of The Gambia

and Africa at large. Here I am today at the age of 100 with my healthy beautiful wife and five kids of whom

two are females. Each pursuing their own career of interest. The university is doing great. It achievement

can be seen in its products, and the developments of the country in general. I am mainly a writer now, the

university is run by the right team, and I just oversees it. I want to transfer my life lessons and experiences


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to the next generations! I thank all the people who supported me and more importantly molded me to

become a good leader especially my leadership IV lecturer, Dr. Esi Ansah! Where it all began for me. I as

well thank the Supreme Being, for seeing me through all the challenges this world has presented to me.

SWOT Analysis of myself

Interestingly, throughout the Leadership IV class, I kept discovering myself after every class. My strengths

weakness, and threads kept changing dynamically. Anytime I report to my jotter book, something new

about myself is noted. The following is my SWOT analysis now:

Strengths:

Very sociable Good Empathetic skills

Good writing and teaching skills Stewardship

Warm hearted Willingness to serve

Value justice, my religion and concern for others Foresight

Politically and technologically inclined Awareness

Enthusiastic about social change Good listening skills

Weaknesses: Opportunities:

Too much jovial sometimes online motivational videos

Do not enjoy receiving directives online learning / Academic materials

Shyness My network; Lecturers, Family and Friends

Paying attention to details


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Threads:

Poor time management

Not getting support from my networks

This is the new me. Much of the weaknesses and threads I had before the beginning of the class has

disappeared. My strengths on the other hand is on the rise. Some of which were actually my weakness. Like

Listening,Awareness,andEmpathy just to mention a few. My opportunities too increase. In class, I was

exposed to certain guest lecturers and online resources that I can use to develop myself as well.

Action Plan.

Personal list What will success

look like? How

will you measure

it?

Top 3

traits/attributes,

key skills

Next Semester

Jan.May 2016

Summer Break

(Jun. 2015 - Aug.

2016

Final Year Sep

2016May 2017

Network Popularity on

campus and

number of friend

increments on my

social media

handles like

Facebook.

I will make sure

that I meet new

people every day

at the cafeterias

on campus!

I will secure

myself an

internship in a

foreign country

where I will

mingle with new

people.

I will try other

international

opportunities.


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Intellectual

ability

1. Understanding

myself better and

knowledge

increments in my

areas of interest.

2. Being efficient

programmer.

1. Try new things

every day!

2. Never feel too

comfortable. Put

myself in the un

comfort zone all

the time!

3.Weekly

reflections!

1. Read books,

code, and work.

2.Learn online

courses I am

interested

1. Research in

fields or areas am

interested in.

Oral

communication

Reduction of this

sentence that

people always ask

when they don't

understand me,

"please come

again"

Make best use of

group meetings in

pitching my ideas.

2.Improve on my

daily

conversations,

through class

presentations, and

participation

1.Read and listen

good audio

materials

Debate

competitions

Project

management

skills

Completing my

tasks on time

Improve my Time

managementskill

Try to be Coast

effective in all my

dealings!

Turn in or Present

Quality work all

the time.


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Paying Attention

to details

Increase in my

grade points

1. Employ trusted

colleagues to look

over my work.

2.Make a to do

lists

1. Avoid

overloading

myself.

2. Plan in advance

long term

projects.

1. Stop

multitasking while

working.

2.Keep to a

specific schedule

Enforcer

My enforcer is a lifelong friend I picked up in my junior high school whom I strongly competed for the first

position in class, Richard Gomez! A tough student who is currently in Taiwan pursuing his BSc in

Agribusiness, an area he really love! Here is my statement to him: I entreat you Richard to hold me

accountable for these goals I set for myself. Do all it takes to see me Momodou K Sowe working on these

he mentioned.

My metaphor NOW

From Ren, a guest speaker we had in class, I came to learn that I can be anybody I want to be. I can do

anything I put my mind into. My experiences with him, changes my initial metaphor from just being

kind K Sowe toKnowledge Consumer. I believe I am a learner! I want to learn anything. I challenge

myself to grow all the time, and I will keep learning throughout my life for I believe in human potentials!

I will never stop exploring myself as a leader now. There is much hidden in me which when I continue to

unearth, I believe will make this world a better place.

My metaphor Last Day on this Earth?

Restless social changer is the metaphor I want to be described on my last day of earth. I would have

learn to the best of my ability, develop myself to the best I can. I would have also worked on numerous

social change projects for the benefit of the society and future generations.


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I am a believer in possibility of things. I will never allow obstacles that come my way limit me. I have

learn to develop a growth mindset from Ren and Kwame, guest speakers we had in class, which forever

will keep me positive and firm in the pursuit of my dreams. This knowledge, I believe will keep the

restlessness in me alive throughout my life that people will come to describe me as a restless social

changer!

References

A Call to Men: Tony Porter at TEDx. YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td1PbsV6B80 on Mon. 07 Dec. 2015.

Bornstein, D. (2004). From Little Acorns: Do Great Trees Grow. In How to change the world: Socialentrepreneurs and the power of new ideas. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Krames, J. A. (2005, November 30).Jack Welch and the 4 Es of Leadership. Retrieved from The CEO

Refresher: http://www.refresher.com/jack-welch-and-the-4-es-of-leadership/

Social Justice Leadership in Living Systems: Max Klau at TEDxHGSE. YouTube. YouTube, n.d.Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0YbXHMANCI on Web. 26 Nov. 2015.

Spears, L. (2002). Tracing The Past, Present, and Future of Servant-Leadership. In Focus on leadership

servant-leadership for the twenty-first century. New York: J. Wiley & Sons.

In class Leadership IV Discussions (2015).

Documents

LDP-Momodou K Sowe