TheCable

……Sound………(sound is running) ….. Camera… (camera rolling) …..6 take 2 and
ACTION!!!
(Jimoh pushed Sule roughly, snatching the posters from his hands. Sule retreated packing his stuffs into his bag.)
Jimoh: Ole!!!! thief!!! your friend is a thief and you are still supporting him. How can he say he didn’t steal the mangoes when he was the one who kept watch for them while they were at it? (Jimoh moved closer to Sule, pushing his head into his face)
Sule: My friend is not a thief. ìwo gan an l’olè. After all, he didn’t eat the mangoes. Loud it and let the world hear o…. (Sule backed away, hissing nosily and shaking his head in disgust)
Jimoh: Suuule…Suuuuulee. (He sneered at him as he called his name, laughing). He didn’t eat the mangoes but he washed down the barbecue chicken with a cold cup of pure mango juice… your thief is worse than mine and he is the worst of all the thieves I know.
Sule: How, how is he worse than yours? And how come you seem to know all the thieves in town (A frown formed on his brow and forehead, as he twisted his lips in contempt)
Jimoh: Good, at least you agree he is a thief…your thief is a liar…an absolute pretender. Your thief is a thief, a shameless one at that; olè ti ò nitìju. But you see, mine is an honest thief, non- pretentious. An honest thief is better than a lying, deceptive and insensitive thief.
Tisa Oko: (Passing by but stopped to listen to their conversation) Hmm… anyway we are all thieves. Gbogbo wa l’olè minus me sha. (He smiles sheepishly to accentuate his sarcasm) Eni ti ‘lè mo ba ni barawo. Thief, “Thievier”, “Thieviest”. Your thief is not as “thievier” as my own thief. Let’s try the “thieviest”……..(and he broke into a fit of laughter)

(And the clapperboard went up)

CUT!!!!

In leadership, integrity is one of the most important character expected of any leader worthy of emulation and deserving of responsibility. Integrity simply put is the quality of moral principles and state of been honest. It is also a state of been whole, undivided and fair in all dealings. Integrity is not an absolute that exist in isolation or on its own merit, but a character that is often the result of a test or trial that justifies the quality of that character or its existence. Integrity is a character that is put to test everyday as the leader continues on his journey of success.

Integrity is not defined by the crowd of praise singers or the mammoth of opposition. Integrity is a character that cuts across the divide. Integrity clad with the right dose of emotional intelligence overwhelms every sentiment known to man. Integrity is tough love on display and fairness at its finest.

Like the movie scene above. If you turn a blind eye at a misdemeanor or benefit in pretense, then you wear the same emblem, “thief”. Although individuals define integrity based on the convenience of time and space, integrity is not a weapon of war but a spatial olive branch that apportions equity even when inconvenient. The “tone-at-the-top” that connotes the body language of the leader, is often just a fraction of the whole. The “action-from-the-top” justifies the tone as been truly true or a mere cliché.

So back to the movie scene…….

Sound….(sound is running) Camera….(camera rolling)….. 6 take 2019 AFS andddddddd…….

Action!!

Remember, when you chase the sun, you will catch the clouds, when you long for the moonlight, stories are heralded. Never seek perfection, simply stay genuine.

Dayo Oladele-Ilori is a management consultant, an entrepreneur, an author, a wife and mother. She is the HR Advisory at House of Procurement. She is also the convener of WELEAD -www.weleadnetwork.org