The Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, Dr. Francis-Xavier Sosu, has urged young people and aspiring leaders to see leadership primarily as an opportunity to serve rather than a pursuit of titles, positions or prestige.
Speaking at the GIMPA SRC Students’ Forum, Dr. Sosu said effective leadership is built through patience, humility, commitment and a genuine desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Leadership is a journey, and we must always realise that. That is how it is going to be,” he said.
According to him, people often judge leaders by the positions they occupy without considering the years of sacrifice, learning and experience that shaped their journeys.
Many times, people look at us and see the end product of a very long journey. When people look at us and make judgments from where we are, they make a lot of mistakes,” he noted.
Dr. Sosu, who is also a lawyer, said his own journey into leadership was driven by a desire to serve.
My journey as a leader started from a genuine desire to serve. Throughout my life, it has been about service, service, service,” he stated.
He stressed that leadership should not be measured by the position a person occupies, but by the impact their actions have on society.
Your impact as a young leader is not determined by the position you hold. It is easy to yearn to be in one position and another and play some roles in leadership, but it is the impact that your life creates that shows the effect of your leadership, he said.»
Dr. Sosu therefore encouraged young people aspiring to leadership positions to make service their starting point.
That is why, when you first think of becoming a leader, the first thing that should come to your mind must be service. If your first goal is, ‘How do I serve? Where do I serve? In which capacity do I serve? How do I create an opportunity to serve?’ then your leadership will be impactful,” he emphasised.
From Cupboard Boy to Public Leadership
Reflecting on his own experience, Dr. Sosu said his leadership journey began at a very young age when he was given the opportunity to serve as a cupboard boy in Primary Four and later as a bell boy in Primary Six.
He said those seemingly modest responsibilities helped him develop important values of service, responsibility and leadership.
His journey continued at St. John’s Grammar School, where he served as a class captain and became actively involved in the Students’ Union.
He later served as General Secretary of Zone 5 of the Greater Accra Students’ Representative Council before becoming its President.
Dr. Sosu also served as Senior Boys’ Prefect of St. John’s Grammar School, describing the various roles as important stages in his leadership development.
He noted that occupying leadership positions did not immediately translate into comfort or privilege.
He recalled that, at one point in his journey, he was still sleeping in a kiosk despite the leadership responsibilities he had taken on.
For him, the experience demonstrates that leadership is not defined by status or material comfort, but by the willingness to serve regardless of one’s circumstances.
He consequently encouraged young people to embrace every opportunity to serve, no matter how small the responsibility may appear.
If you want to be a great leader, let service be your hallmark, Dr. Sosu concluded.
Source: Myxyzonline.com
