Becoming Exemplary Leaders: A Paradigm Shift and Self-development Approach for the Youth : Joel Alemibola Elegbe

On 13th March 2026, Dr. Joel Alemibola Elegbe presented his new book, entitled: Becoming Exemplary Leaders: A Paradigm Shift and Self-development Approach for the Youth at the Lagos Oriental Hotel. The author is a scholar, youth advocate, Human Resources Management expert, an international consultant and a former international civil servant, who has also had a rich work experience in university and research institutions, and private sector organizations.

His book seeks to answer a couple of questions. Why is Nigeria unable to rapidly drive and accelerate the trajectory of development to achieve shared prosperity in spite of her abundant and multiple natural resources coupled with a huge youthful and creative human capital? How can we interrupt the cycle of serially ineffective leadership by reshaping the mindsets of the youth before they assume leadership roles? The author systematically analyzes and explains the country’s glacier development trajectory and current existential challenges, all of which provide a clear context that enables the reader to comprehend the elephant in the room, which is several years of bad and ineffective leadership.

He gives a voice to the frustration and desperation of the youth, their relentless migration impulse, and their moral and ethical confusion because of the crisis of values in the country. It explains the toxic myths of leadership, global and national factors affecting leadership in the 21st Century, the fundamental difference between managing and leading, and the importance of mindset in leadership.

The author explains that the three essential dimensions of leadership are: (i) Character – values, moral and ethical fiber manifested in the behaviors and decisions of a leader; (ii) Competence – abilities that enable leaders to achieve the vision and goals they set out to accomplish with their team; and (iii) Commitment – dedication, devotion, inspiration and passion to achieve a defined cause – vision, goals, etc. A turn in the tide of leadership is desired by Nigerians. However, a change in leadership is only possible with individual self-transformation which, in turn, depends on a change in mindset. Exemplary leadership must, therefore, begin with a transformation from fixed to growth mindset among the youth.

Leadership failure in Nigeria is primarily as a result of mindset deficit. This is precisely the reason the leaders who have been responsible for current existential problems cannot be the same people who will engineer the desired change. Those who want to be exemplary leaders, particularly the youth, need to adopt four interlocking leadership mindsets which will profitably and profoundly drive their self-transformation, and by implication, the transformation of the entities they lead.

The four interlocking leadership mindsets are:

• Value-based mindset: commitment to values as moral and ethical compass of leadership
• Servant-leadership mindset: pursuit of common good and service as the essence of leadership
• Visionary mindset: commitment to the pursuit of a better and progressive future
• Innovator mindset: commitment to innovation, competitiveness and continued relevance in a dynamic and technologically disruptive ecosystem.
  Many leadership development programs have failed because the acquisition of appropriate mindsets was excluded.

Leadership knowledge and skills alone are not enough. The author explains how mindset can be developed. If Nigerian youth would internalize the mindsets articulated in this book, there would certainly be a positive generational shift in leadership. The book is, indeed, a proposition that Nigeria’s future can be intentionally shaped by a generation of exemplary leaders. It seeks to move the national narrative, which oscillates between nostalgia and frustration, to practical action because neither lamentation nor idealization of the past builds organizations, communities and nations but the right mindset does.
Becoming Exemplary Leaders comes at a time when most Nigerians are united in saying that the greatest problem in Nigeria is “simply and squarely poor leadership”. At its presentation, the general sentiment expressed by the audience was that the publication of the book was timely. As the reviewer of the book rightly noted, it is a blueprint on how the youth should acquire mindsets and skills necessary to become exemplary leaders.

The book is unique and invaluable to all those who lead or aspire to lead. It is an instrument for training, coaching and mentoring. It is for all generations, particularly the youth. It provides a basis for integrating the concept of self-transformation through the acquisition of growth mindset into youth empowerment policies. The author provides great material for Ministries and departments that are involved in national orientation, and youth education and development programs. He underscores the imperative for exemplary leaders to have a brand of leadership characterized by character, vision, commitment to service, competence, perpetual learning, global citizenship orientation and innovativeness.