INTRODUCTION
In our last publication, we discussed ‘Responsible Management as a solution to youth unemployment and restiveness in Nigeria; and explained why management is an art. Today, we shall explain ‘Responsible Management’ more deeply by looking at its professional nature and relevance and how to apply it in the effective management of our national resources.
RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT AS A PROFESSION
We say Management is a profession because it requires;
• Specialized Knowledge – A manager should have the devotion and involvement to acquire expertise in the science (knowledge base) of management.
• Formal Education and Training- Several institutes and universities teach and train people to adequately understand the theory and practice of management. For example, the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) was established to determine standards of knowledge and skills to be attained by persons seeking to become professional managers.
• Social Obligations – A profession may be a source of livelihood but professionals are primarily motivated by the desire to serve society. Their actions are influenced by social norms and values. A manager is responsible not only to his employer but also to society.
• A Code of Conduct – Members of a profession have to abide by a code of conduct that contains certain rules and regulations, norms of honesty, integrity, and special ethics. A code of conduct is enforced by a representative association to ensure self-discipline among its members. Any member that violates the code of conduct risks professional punishment and a withdrawal of his membership.
• A Representative Association – The regulation of a profession requires the existence of a representative body or association. For example, the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) regulates the management profession in all its aspects and ramifications.
SOME RESPONSIBILITIES OF RESPONSIBLE MANAGERS
We need professional managers in this country who can think through and implement formidable structures for the progressive growth and development of the country and a better future for generations yet unborn.
Specifically, we need Professional Managers with the leadership capacity to;
• Know and understand diversity as strength and be able to harness it for the benefit of all.
• Put in place structures, systems, policies, and strategies to promote local manufacturing and the consumption of local products. If we do not consume what we produce, who will do so for us? Late Fela Anikulapo Kuti asked that question decades ago and it has remained unanswered. Our penchant for conspicuous foreign consumption keeps multiplying. Many find it difficult to eat our homegrown food, wear our homespun clothes, and buy our homemade furniture and motor vehicles. The trade discrimination of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co Ltd and other local manufacturers by fellow Nigerians is sad and shameful. We complain of “no job” while we collectively kill jobs by our consumption patterns. Ghana recently made it compulsory for school uniforms to be made from local fabrics in local Textile Mills like Afprint Ghana Ltd, We ‘killed’ our Afprint, go to Ghana to buy their local fabrics popularly called “Ankara” and yet decry the alarming rate of unemployment. Even some Nigerians use proceeds of corruption to establish industries and universities abroad and employ their citizens instead of investing in Nigeria (I am not supporting the stealing of public funds, there are no righteous thieves. But it is more scandalous to steal to grow another country’s economy while yours is comatose).
• Work well with and through other people both individually and in a group. We need professional managers that will promote merit over mediocrity; employ due to competence and not ethnic affinity. We need managers who will be very comfortable working with the best brains from the north and south and not promote jingoistic ethnicism. This country does not need any type of chauvinist in any sphere of government; we require professional, geocentric (not ethnocentric), and culturally intelligent managers with demonstrable ability to relate well with and manage a diversity of people.
• See the country as one indivisible entity in terms of setting goals and policies, giving appointments, and sharing the profit or ‘good of the land. This is critical because if the profit of the land is not perceived to be distributed as evenly as possible, it wouldn’t be difficult for people to gather and say “What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel …’
People will start to have secessionist tendencies.
SOME ADDITIONAL QUALITIES OF RESPONSIBLE MANAGERS.
To solve unemployment and youth restiveness, we require managers who possess integrity and the skills to;
• Select goals and ways to obtain them
• Assign authority and responsibility for task accomplishment
• Recruit and retain the best on merit
• Manage the available resources effectively and efficiently
• Motivate and coordinate employees and
• Monitor activities and make corrections
To be continued next week. 
Sunday Ade Bello (SAB) is a multi-talented and analytically inspired management trainer, writer, and examiner. He is the CEO of WorkLife Training Professionals, Lagos.
