Throughout my adult life and especially my time in public service, I have not seen the utility in debating or proving a matter was settled. I have always seen it as a classic waste of valuable time and energy.
For example, if in 2016 or before that time, someone had argued with me that there was no way on ‘God’s green earth’ that I could become Commissioner of Maritime and then in September 2016, Madam Sirleaf announced me as Commissioner of Maritime, I would consider that matter closed.
In scholarship, one would say that the matter is “settled”. It would be a waste of my time to keep arguing with the person or trying to provr to them (through whatever means) I could become the Commissioner of Maritime. I am already the Commissioner of Maritime. I don’t have to argue about that or try to prove to the person that I told them that I could become.
What I would rather spend my time doing is to ensure that I become a good Commissioner of Maritime. And if it means hiring that person, if they have the skills, to ensure that I become a good Commissioner of Maritime then I will do that. In fact, I think by hiring the person I will be further demonstrating that the argument is over and that I am a bigger person.
By moving beyond the argument that has been ‘settled’ and expanding the frontier so that I can launch myself into the category as one of the best Commissioners of Maritime, I will be ensuring my place in maritime history.
I didn’t just want to be a Commissioner of Maritime, I wanted to be one of the best that the institution had ever seen. I wanted to leave a legacy. I wanted to be remembered by the colleagues at the Authority as someone who moved the Authority one step forward.
I hope that my three (3) year tenure at the Authority did accomplish a little bit of that and that I did not spend my time proving to anyone that I could be a Commissioner of Maritime. That matter was “settled” by my appointment to the post.
In my next blogpost, I want to talk about ‘loyalty’ vs ‘competence”. Watch out…
PS. Let me be clear. This post has nothing to do with the nonsense that was posted on Facebook about James Kollie going to the Ministry of Finance. It is not true! It is not possible. In 2016, I was invited to be considered for the post of Minister of Finance and I turned it down. So those circulations don’t turn my head and I believe the disinterest is mutual…
James F. Kollie, Jr. 