Business
L-R: Dr Okechukwu Enelamah
Chairman, African Capital Alliance and Fmr. Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Charles Okeibunor,
President, International Coaching Federation (ICF), Nigeria Charter Chapter and Akanimo Ekong,
Immediate Past President, ICF, Nigeria, at the International Coaching Week 2026 Conference, on Tuesday in Lagos.
NIGERIAN business leaders, policymakers, and professional coaches on Tuesday urged a shift from command-style leadership to influence-driven leadership to rebuild trust, strengthen governance, and prepare the next generation of leaders.
They made the call during the International Coaching Week (ICW) 2026 Conference on Tuesday in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference, organised by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Nigeria Charter Chapter, had the theme, “From Authority to Influence: Coaching as a New Leadership Currency”.
Speakers at the conference said the traditional command and control model of leadership was becoming less effective in a fast-changing world shaped by artificial intelligence, flatter workplaces, remote work systems and younger generations demanding inclusion and engagement.
Delivering the keynote address, former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah, described leadership as the capacity to mobilise others toward a shared goal.
“You can mobilise people through authority, through position, power, hierarchy, instruction, even compliance.
“You can mobilise people through influence, through trust, inspiration, vision, coaching or by example.
“Authority can be taken from you, influence much less so,” he said.
Enelamah, who is also the Chairman of African Capital Alliance, said leadership models across the world are evolving.
He added that while command-and-control leadership worked during the industrial age and military era where speed of execution mattered more than quality of thinking, modern institutions now required leaders who could listen, engage and inspire people.
He warned that authority-driven leadership often produced fear, silence and resistance.
“A coach does not give you the answers. A coach helps you find yours,” he added.
Drawing from his personal career journey, Enelamah described mentoring as the gift of experience, adding that mentors give a map they have already drawn, while coaches help individuals discover their own path through questions, reflection and accountability.
He urged leaders to adopt what he referred to as coaching behaviours, including listening more, asking questions before giving directives and believing in people’s potential.
“Lead with questions rather than with your opinion.
“Great coaches will not tell you what you want to hear but what you need to hear,” he said.
Enelamah urged participants to build springboards for others, adopt coaching as a preferred leadership style and prioritise influence, empathy and listening in both public and private institutions.
President of ICF, Nigeria Charter Chapter, Charles Okeibunor, said coaching was critical to effective governance, decision-making and youth development.
Highlighting how important decision making, problem solving and how strategic thinking was, Okeibunor said coaching in Nigeria must move beyond theory and become embedded in organisations and institutions as a practical development tool.
“If these three things are important, then coaching is important,” he said.
“Stop talking about coaching and start doing coaching,” he said.
According to him, organisations should allocate coaching budgets the same way they allocate funds for staff training.
He added that leaders transitioning into new roles should be paired with professional coaches.
He noted that the conference, which was part of the activities to mark ICW, was opened free to participants to broaden access beyond corporate executives and professional coaches.
Okeibunor further noted that the federation had also donated 117 hours of coaching support to women during International Women’s Day activities earlier in the year, and introduced pro bono coaching sessions for ICW 2026.
Other activities included masterclasses in AI and Leadership, Mental Resilience and Building High-Growth Enterprises, and also a roundtable.
Special Adviser to the President on Finance and the Economy, Sanyade Okoli, who is also a trained coach, said Nigeria’s development depended on helping citizens become better versions of themselves.
“When we talk about Nigeria, we speak as if it’s this esoteric thing but Nigeria is the collection of individuals in the land called Nigeria.
“If each Nigerian becomes a better version of themselves, then Nigeria will become a better country for all of us,” she said.
Okoli noted that coaching remained relatively new in Nigeria, partly because many people were still more comfortable paying for products than services.
She, however, said awareness was gradually increasing. (NAN)
F.O
Tags: Authority Coaching