Abiola Salami, Performance Strategist and founder, CHAMP Global Leadership Consulting, a leadership development and performance advisory firm, speaks to institutional investment in technology, people, infrastructure and innovation; and argues that innovation and adoption are not sufficient measures of institutional success. In this interview, Salami discusses why Nigeria needs a stronger approach to measuring institutional performance leadership ahead of the 2026 Peak Performer Africa awards scheduled for November 20. Excerpts by JOHN SALAU:
As a performance strategist, what role would you say governance and accountability play in institutional performance?
They are central. Strategy without accountability can become aspiration without delivery.
Governance without decision quality can become procedural compliance without effective oversight. Good governance should help an institution make sound decisions, identify risks, allocate resources responsibly and ensure that authority is matched by accountability.
Accountability also has to extend beyond assigning blame when something goes wrong. It requires clarity about who owns an outcome, the resources and authority available to that person, the standards against which performance is assessed, and the mechanisms for learning and correction. When these elements work together, accountability becomes a performance discipline rather than a disciplinary event.
What is the implication of having an institution heavily dependent on the chief executive when it comes to performance?
It may perform impressively during that leader’s tenure, but the more important question is whether the institution has built the capability to continue performing when that individual leaves. Enduring performance requires leadership depth, succession planning, institutional memory, effective processes and a culture that supports sound decisions beyond the personality of the chief executive. A leader’s legacy should not be measured only by the results achieved while in office. It should also be measured by the institution’s readiness to continue delivering afterwards. This is why leadership continuity and succession are among the dimensions examined by the Performance Leadership Index.
What is the Performance Leadership Index?
The Performance Leadership Index 2026 is an evidence-led assessment developed by The Peak Performer Africa to examine institutional capability for sustainable performance. It is not designed to reward size, popularity or visibility.
It examines the evidence of how institutions establish direction, execute priorities, take ownership of performance, govern decisions, develop leadership capability and sustain results. The assessment uses ten dimensions i.e. Strategic Coherence; Execution Discipline; Performance Ownership and Accountability; Leadership Capability and Readiness; Leadership Continuity and Succession; Governance, Decision Quality and Behavioural Integrity; People, Culture and Organisational Alignment; Innovation and Organisational Adaptability; Stakeholder Confidence and Market Signals; and Enduring Performance.
Together, these dimensions encourage a more integrated view of institutional effectiveness.
How does the Index differentiate genuine performance from good corporate storytelling?
Our methodology uses the 5D Standard (i.e. Direction, Discipline, Depth, Dynamism and Durability) through evidence and disciplined assessment. It also applies the Four Proof Rule, which examines evidence of the system, the outcome, the time dimension and independent corroboration. The assessment considers the strength and consistency of the available evidence, rather than relying solely on what an institution says about itself. Evidence confidence and integrity checks are also part of the process.
A distinction must be made between a claim and proof of that claim. Having a policy does not automatically demonstrate that it is implemented effectively. Reporting an achievement does not, by itself, establish that the achievement is sustainable. The assessment is designed to reward substantiated institutional capability – not merely compelling narratives.
What does the Index mean for institutions that are recognised?
Recognition should mean something more than visibility. It should reflect evidence that an institution meets a defined standard. The Performance Leadership Index 2026 assesses institutions against a common methodology, with sector context considered in interpreting institutional performance. It is not intended to produce a simplistic league table of the largest or most popular organisations. The 2026 assessment covers 100 institutions, with 25 qualifying as PLI 25 Leading Institutions under the established assessment criteria. The assessment uses a threshold of 80 percent, alongside minimum requirements across the five dimensions, evidence confidence and integrity criteria. Recognition is therefore tied to the applicable evidence and qualification standard.
It should be understood in that context.
Do you think there is a need to measure performance leadership differently in Nigeria?
We have become accustomed to measuring institutional success through familiar indicators like revenue, profitability, market share, growth, asset size and visibility. These are important, but they do not tell the complete story. We must also ask how consistently an institution translates its strategic direction into results, how well it executes, whether accountability is embedded in its operating culture, how sound its governance, and whether it can sustain performance beyond the tenure of a particular leader. An institution can be profitable without being sufficiently resilient. It can be innovative without delivering a better customer experience. It can have an impressive strategy that never becomes an organisational reality. Performance Leadership challenges us to examine the connection between direction, capability, execution and outcomes. The question is not simply whether an institution is successful today. It is whether it has the leadership systems, organisational discipline and institutional foundations to sustain that success.
On Friday, November 20, 2026, at MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, The Peak Performer Africa will convene two connected experiences under the theme Unlocking Capacity. Redefining Performance. The evening programme, TPP Awards 2026, featuring the Performance Leadership Honours, begins at 6:00 p.m. It will include my keynote on The State of Performance Leadership in Nigeria and the unveiling of the Performance Leadership Index 2026, alongside institutional and individual recognitions under the applicable criteria. The morning experience, No More Shrinking; The Full Capacity Experience, begins at 8:00 a.m. and examines the utilisation of female capacity in Nigeria. The two conversations are connected by a national imperative: we must enable people to contribute fully and build institutions that convert capacity into sustainable performance.
Are you saying financial performance indicators are no longer relevant?
Not at all. Financial performance remains essential. My argument is that we should distinguish between measuring results and understanding the institutional capabilities that produce and sustain those results. Profitability tells us something important about an institution. But it does not, by itself, tell us how effectively the organisation manages risk, develops future leaders, maintains governance standards, aligns its people, adapts to disruption or prepares for leadership succession. The objective is not to replace financial indicators. It is to complement them with a more complete understanding of institutional performance. A stronger measurement approach helps boards and executives understand not only what happened, but also the systems and leadership disciplines that made it possible and whether those systems can continue to deliver.
How should businesses do outside investing in innovation to boost institutional performance?
They should begin by defining the outcomes that matter before celebrating the activity. If an institution invests in digital banking, for example, it should examine not only transaction volumes and adoption but also reliability, security, complaints resolution, inclusion and customer trust. If it invests in employee development, it should examine whether leadership capability improves, execution becomes stronger and business outcomes change. If it introduces a new strategy, it should track whether priorities are understood, resources are aligned, responsibilities are clear and intended outcomes are achieved. In my latest Guardian column, I make a related argument about digital banking that the deployment of technology is not the same as the achievement of better performance. The same principle applies across sectors. The discipline is simple; connect investment to capability, capability to execution, and execution to evidence of results.
What do you consider a call to action after a possible engagement with this approach?
I would encourage boards and chief executives to ask five questions. First, is our strategic direction clear enough to guide choices and resource allocation? Second, do we have the discipline to execute our priorities consistently? Third, is accountability connected to outcomes rather than activity alone? Fourth, do our governance, leadership and people systems support the performance we expect? Finally, are we building an institution that can sustain its results over time? These questions can expose gaps that conventional reporting may not make sufficiently visible. The value of measurement is not the score itself. It is the quality of the decisions that follow.
Finally, what is your advice to Nigerian business leaders on deepening institutional performance?
Do not confuse activity with achievement, visibility with capability, or short-term success with enduring performance. The institutions that will matter most in the years ahead are those that can demonstrate a clear direction, execute with discipline, take ownership of outcomes, govern responsibly and sustain results. Nigeria does not lack ambition. We must become more deliberate about building the institutional capability to turn ambition into performance.