NEXUS BETWEEN EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP AND STAFF PERFORMANCE IN NIGERIAN PUBLIC SERVICE: AN OVERVIEW

Abstract

The paper is on ‘Nexus Between Effective Leadership and Staff Performance in Nigerian Public service: An Overview. The myriad of problems affecting the public sector in Nigeria have come about largely as a result of lack of effective leadership that will be the role model to fast-track organisational progress and expansion via improved staff performance. Organisations are headed by administrators who are expected to lead their subordinates towards greater performance that meets or exceeds organisational goals. Depending on the situation, leaders could employ democratic, autocratic or laissez-faire leadership styles to get organisational goal and objectives achieved. Thus, the paper aims at determining the link between effective leadership and staff performance with reference to the Nigerian public organisations. Data are generated from secondary sources and analysed thematically using content analysis. The paper discovered that for Nigeria public service or organisations to overcome the challenges of leadership in the country’s public bureaucracy, those on whom the burden of leadership has been entrusted must fully comprehend their responsibilities, duties and obligations. They must also be exposed and be prepared to face the challenges of leadership in developing their respective organisations and the society at large. Also, findings reveal that lack of vision, political will, transparency, accountability, lack of adequate motivation among others negatively affect staff performance and consequently deter the growth and progress of the public organisations in championing the course of overall development. It was recommended among others that there is the need for the enthronement of transformational democratic leaders founded on distinct sound value systems with probity and accountability and those that have priority for the welfare of the staff and the overall organisational goal. The paper concludes that only leadership with maximum empathy for the people, particularly the staff, can be relevant to the overall organisational goal and objectives especially in the Nigeria public service.