In a bid to continue the culture of producing great leaders, Great Bodija held a workshop on “Personality and Leadership Development” on the 23^rd and 24^th of February, 2022. This was part of the inter-semester program for the 2021/2022 Academic/Formation Session. The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Patrick Oluyide, a foremost consultant and leadership expert.

He began by remarking that leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness. He defined leadership as influence, nothing more or nothing less. In addendum, he quoted the 6^th President of the United States of America, John Quiney Adams, who said “If your actions could inspire other people to be more, do more and achieve more, then you are a leader”. These actions are what people want to see. Nevertheless, these actions are products of a process and this process is very essential in the development of leadership qualities.

However, before one is able to lead others, he must be able to master and lead himself. This is because if a person has developed himself, others will want to fall under his sphere of influence. Thus, self-development is very fundamental for every leader. The process of becoming a leader will therefore involve three processes: self-knowledge and awareness especially of one’s purpose and values, self-control, and self-giving. In addition, Mr. Patrick Oluyide maintained that leaders have integrity of character; they nurture people, have faith in people, listen to people, understand people, enlarge people, empower people, and eventually reproduce other leaders. Leaders do not reduce people, but they raise people.

The sessions also comprised of group discussions and presentations. The seminarians were grouped into seven; each group studied at least one of the seven habits of highly effective persons, namely: Be Proactive; Begin with the End in Mind; Put First Things First; Seek to understand, then be understood; Think “Win/Win”; Synergize; Sharpen the Sword. After the discussions, the groups presented their findings on how to develop these seven habits. Furthermore, there were personality and leadership tests that aimed at helping the seminarians know themselves better, their strengths, weaknesses, deficiencies and how to do better. Both sessions were very educative, edifying, illuminating, instructive and transformative.