Fr George Adimike
Celebrating milestones indicates growth and serves as a barometer of success. It is always a time of reckoning, of giving account of stewardship, of evaluating the immensity and profundity of God’s grace in human affairs. For Archbishop Valerian Maduka Okeke, the Ordinary of the Archdiocese of Onitsha and Metropolitan of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, his seventy-three years are indeed studded with milestones, making them eventful, transformative, and, if the term is permitted, twelful! Twelful because Archbishop Okeke’s existence is characterised by self and social governance that is complete in reach, perfect in impact and dynamic in approach. Laden with meaning and filled with significance, twelful spells completion, perfection, and authority, nay, transformation. Essaying Archbishop Okeke’s life is a fascinating undertaking, given the inspiration it awakens. Each chapter of his life funds a stunning narrative of a man of grace and capacity, who leads the flock of Christ to an abundance of life in Christ.
Such a narrative on the impact of faith, driven by the power of grace, imposes imperatives for transformative leadership and meaningful Christian existence. No doubt, the task ahead of him at the ascension to the Cathedra was daunting and persuasive. He adopted a peculiar manner of addressing the challenges, embodying uncommon leadership qualities that have defined his person and administration. The method was neither patronising nor pretentious. Rather, it was gilded in apostolic zeal with all the attentiveness of a moral theologian endowed with the heart of a shepherd bristling with altruism, which is encapsulated in his virtuous triad of grace, gut-grit and gratitude, the flagship of his pastoral husbandry. Conscious of self as a subject of grace, he marches with guts aided by grit to exercise gratitude. This thanksliving commits him to dedicating his life to soul winning and social transformation. These two require human agency touched by and enabled by the Spirit, in a word true leadership.
The onerous and daunting nature of leadership notwithstanding, he marches on with courage, not just as a trailblazing alpha but in union with his collaborators, and with the betas, hence alphabeta. For him, leadership is transformation through a shared vision and a synergised mission. Even if many do not see as far as he sees, to the effect of causing a lag and drawbacks, he dissipates the sluggishness by preparing the priests and personnel, his immediate collaborators, for the task of leadership, for a shared vision. Even if his vision is not immediately appreciated, he is not deterred or ruffled; rather, he presses on, and the final ovation outweighs the attendant challenges.
It is quite evident that Archbishop Okeke stands as a paragon of visionary and dynamic leadership, stewarding with a profound sense of purpose that prompts this study of his leadership for the benefit of upcoming leaders. Indeed, he occupies the unique intersection and, indeed, a rare synthesis of spiritual fatherhood and executive mastery. At the same time, he embodies a rare blend of vision, mission, and exemplary living, both as a shepherd of souls and a quintessential CEO. He is typical of a leader whose strategy and style leave an indelible mark on the hearts and institutions he serves.
*Substance of His Leadership*
*• Vision-based:* Archbishop Okeke sees far into possibilities and works hard to birth the possibilities into reality, discerning the needs of his people and the direction of providence. He formulates a compelling vision anchored in Christian hope, inspiring the people of God to aspire to greater heights. As a man of vision, he charts courses toward the future, informed by a discerning reading of the signs of the times.
*• Mission-oriented:* His leadership is animated by such a profound zeal that is restless as it is creative and tenacious. He brings unimaginable energy to the apostolate, reaching peripheries, igniting renewal, and catalysing holistic development, whether spiritual, intellectual, or material. What he sees and says, he invests himself to establish. He walks the talk.
*• Exemplary-validated:* With a profound understanding that position amplifies influence, the Archbishop leads by example and integrity, a powerful force that inspires followership. His life typifies and embodies the values and virtues he demands of the people. Thus, he models and mirrors those ideals to which he calls others. As such, his life embodies the values and culture of the institution he represents and serves as evidence of the transformative power of the Gospel.
*Strategy and Style: The CEO Approach*
*• Delegate:* One of the Archbishop’s leadership traits is his confidence in delegating authority. Through this administrative style, as pragmatic as it is inspiring, he schools and nurtures leaders. He recognises that true leadership multiplies power instead of merely centralising it in oneself. He entrusts responsibilities because he knows that leadership flourishes when others are empowered to act. His delegation is certainly strategic, as such, he matches tasks with talents and fosters ownership among collaborators.
*• Empower:* The Archbishop spares no effort in training and providing the necessary tools for effective ministry and leadership. He invests richly in his team, encourages them, and stands by them, especially in times of difficulty, so that potential is transformed into performance, and resources into capital. He carefully selects collaborators, empowers them to take initiative, and provides the resources needed for success. Yet, he does not abdicate responsibility.
*• Monitor:* While the Archbishop entrusts responsibility and its attendant power to collaborators, he knows that power without oversight is perilous. Therefore, he monitors closely and engages actively to ensure the vision is carried out with fidelity. Without being intrusive, meddlesome, or lax, he makes sure the vision is executed properly. For him, therefore, monitoring is a balanced act of stewardship.
*• Engage:* The Archbishop’s leadership model emphasises presence and highlights participation. He is never aloof and never outsources leadership. He immerses himself in the realities of his people, through positive engagement that fosters unity and shared purpose.
*• Supervise:* One notable bane of leadership is a lack of proper supervision. Without it, work flounders. But in his case, the Archbishop entrusts responsibility and follows up. While remaining firm and fair, he motivates instead of using coercion. Though he expects accountability, he encourages, empathises and guides, and never condones.
*• Encourage:* The Archbishop’s leadership employs the tool of affirmation that recognises honest effort, appreciates goodwill and progress. As a result, he easily turns challenges into opportunities for growth.
*• Empathise:* The Archbishop employs both the head and the heart. With a heart attuned to the struggles of others, he shares in their joys and sorrows. He enters their context and allows their well-being to shape his decisions. He weds compassion into the efficiency of operations.
*• Communicate:* Communication is the lifeline and lifeblood of his administration. He articulates his vision with clarity and conviction, ensuring that no one is left in the dark.
*• Listen:* Archbishop Okeke listens. It characterises his leadership model. He listens profoundly and patiently to pronounced words and nuanced silence. He receives suggestions, welcomes feedback, and allows voices to shape policy and direction. He listens discerningly to even aspirations and concerns behind them.
*• Support:* No great leader sabotages the efforts of his lieutenants, and as such, Archbishop Okeke lifts the burden of responsibility from his subordinates. He stands by his team in times of adversity and triumph alike, offering resources and moral strength. He supports his team, rewarding diligence and reinforcing positive achievements.
*• Reward:* One of the geniuses of the Archbishop’s leadership model is the generous reward of excellence. This inspires a culture of achievement. His leadership is not transactional but relational, building a refreshing atmosphere where trust and mutual respect flourish. He is present with his people as a companion and guide, and appreciates their contributions.
*• Reinforce:* The Archbishop uses positive reinforcement to instil values and dissuasion to curb excesses and defects. Impliedly, he employs both the carrot-and-stick method while drawing attention to the ideals. He evaluates, recalibrates, and ensures constant alignment to the vision and mission. By so doing, he sustains the good and suffocates the evil.
*Excellence Defined*
The excellence he defines is not mere efficiency or success by worldly standards, but a reflective pursuit of the highest ideals. It is being of the highest and best quality as one pursues truth, beauty, charity, justice, and overall goodness. As a result of his administrative strategy and leadership style, the results are overwhelmingly evident. Excellence has become a culture that affects all sectors of the apostolate. He consistently reinforces the values that constitute the bedrock of effective Christian existence. For him, excellence is achieved when holiness, integrity, and service are pursued and attained. Yea, it is a relentless striving for the highest good in all things. His leadership style is a clarion call to greatness. The substance of his leadership model flourishes where vision is lived, mission is accomplished, and example is set for generations to emulate. One of the Archbishop’s legacies is living out the purpose of leadership as transformation; leadership as service, administration as empowerment, and excellence as culture.
In conclusion, the Archbishop’s life does not deny identity but educates and transforms it; he is a proud Nwa Dioka, indeed Ebube Dioka. Yet he is a celebrated international figure and a global citizen. That is to say, belonging to the universal family of God as ontological siblings interweaves with rich and endowed idioms of our identities. These particularities call us to a higher responsibility. He reminds the world that true faith informs ethics, hope inspires politics, love drives economics, and art and science express redeemed humanity. The life of the Archbishop these seventy-three years bears eloquent testimony to the centrality of grace in human existential enterprise. Happy birthday, Archbishop Valerian Okeke, the celebrated CEO.
Fr George Adimike
findfadachigozie@gmail.com
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