Reformers Arise by Alero Ayida-Otobo

Author:Alero Ayida-Otobo
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781784522988
Publisher: Panoma Press Ltd

No Plan B

It is not everyone that has the capability not to cave in. I see it as an outward manifestation of an inner strength. When you don’t have a Plan B you have within you the ability to withstand pressure and undue hardship rather than buckle under the pressure. This is something sadly missing in many of us but is a required quality in a reformer. As mentioned earlier, it is time for the African version of Harakiri. Back in Ancient Rome, committing suicide by falling on one’s sword became an actual practice. The Japanese samurai custom took it to another level as it became an act of great honour to commit suicide by disembowelment with a sword rather than face the dishonour of surrender. In England it became an expression that was widely used following the resignation of Lord Peter Carrington who resigned from his post as Foreign Secretary for the Thatcher government in 1982. He was one of the last high-profile politicians in the United Kingdom to take personal responsibility in such circumstances.

I remember I offered to ‘fall on my sword’ for the first time in early 2004. I made a grievous mistake as the head of one of the key divisions in one of the largest banks in the country. The uproar that followed that mistake was deafening and it was not going away. All the good work that we had done as a division over the previous 12 months was about to be obliterated by this singular error. I refused to make excuses; I felt I needed to take full responsibility for the incident. I was ready to walk away and to fall on my sword. This was not going to be easy as this was a job I loved. I had just finished a Master’s programme at a leading world-class business school and was invited back to this financial institution to be one of the key players in a management turnaround – an opportunity that does not come often in one’s career.

I offered to ‘fall’. The offer was rejected. The then Chief Executive Officer stood up for me and the matter was resolved.

In another situation in an organisation I will not mention I was asked to do something that could severely affect the board if I didn’t do it. If I did it I would be in the good books of the institution and be offered a promotion to a very senior position. I was at a crossroads. I asked for an hour. It was an hour to reflect and to think deeply about my values, about my beliefs, about what I stood for and believed in. I returned after that hour and offered to fall on my sword. This time I fell – I was asked to leave the organisation.

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