Managing Director of GCB Bank PLC, Kofi Adomakoh, has advised Ghanaians, especially businesses and leaders, not to weigh their vulnerabilities down to achieve their objectives.

He said leaders are vulnerable and have their own fears with the challenging environment they operate in and need the support of their followers and the masses to excel.

Speaking at a forum at the University of Ghana on the theme; “Building Collaborative leadership and high-performance teams,” Mr Adomakoh urged the youth of the country not to make money their primary focus in life.

The event, dubbed “Alumni Passing Through” was part of the annual Faculty week celebrations of the Department of Agriculture, University of Ghana.

The majority of the participants joined the discussions virtually with others physically present at the forecourt of the Department of Agriculture.

Mr Adomakoh, an Alumnus of the Department, was invited to share his perspectives and thoughts on the topic based on several decades of industry experience.

He explained that competent leaders present a high degree of emotional intelligence and exhibit characteristics akin to motivation, self-regulation, self-awareness, empathy, and social skills.

He urged leaders to create and demonstrate a clear purpose, clarity, certainty and hope for their teams.

Mr Adomakoh advised the participants not to emulate or repeat the mistakes of the past, adding that “high-performance teams learn from mistakes.”

The GCB MD noted that effective leaders think exponentially and not linearly and have the ability to inspire and elicit the best out of people or their teams.

He urged the youth to discard silo mentalities, be each other’s strength, and not be fixated on their weaknesses.

“Leadership must not always come from the top. It can come from anywhere. A good leader must inspire and make people better. Motivate and create an environment for people to flourish. Leaders create the environment and inspire people to exploit themselves for the benefit of society.”

The MD admonished students to exploit their intrinsic leadership qualities to fit into high-performing teams and not step out of the institution as only “fit-for-jobs.”

Mr Adomakoh expressed his appreciation to the department and congratulated them on pioneering this very important initiative where seeds were sown are sure to reap relevant fruits.

The Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Irene S. Egyiri, noted that the programme offers students the opportunity to be inspired and obtain mentorship.

Present at the ceremony were the Head of Corporate Affairs Department of GCB, Mr Emmanuel Kojo Kwarteng and the Executive Business Manager, Mr Kofi Osei-Asibey.