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During one community elections, three young adults
visited me; we had the exchange below:
Would-be-contestant: I want to contest the … position; what advice do you
have for me?
Me:
You should have told me that you have identified this or these challenges,
which you plan to help your community with, so what is your plan?
All three people: No one spoke; they just stared at me. (I realized
that they had no plan and were clueless about leadership.)
Me:
You go, look around and identify one or two major challenges. Brainstorm ideas and
come back and share with me. I will advise as necessary. (They never came
back, so I thought they had given up.)
I was away on the day of election but returned to meet
the celebration. I almost swooned when I saw the community leader elected – the
non-starter who had sought my advice. I had not realized that the position in
question was the topmost one.
My enquiries revealed that the election had been
purely territorial, not about qualities or vision. Voters were just happy to
vote for someone from their side of community. Logically, the community lost in
so many ways under that visionless leadership. Upon serious reflection, it hit
me that many Ghanaians leaders are clueless about leadership.
One course I thoroughly and absolutely enjoyed
teaching was Executive Communication, part of a professional programme at NIIT.
I loved the course for its rich content and broad treatment of the concept of
leadership. Learners were helped to understand that leadership is not about a
person but about qualities such as loyalty, courage, commitment, determination,
integrity, enthusiasm, empathy, vision, collaboration, humility and initiative,
to name these. Leadership is about protecting and preserving national legacies
and natural resources for all generations.
Leadership is about possessing a vision which others
might not even begin to contemplate and having the knowledge and willpower to
translate the vision into achievable goals that ordinary citizens can pursue
for progress, obstacles notwithstanding. Leadership is the ability to mobilize
human resources and motivate them to utilize natural and other resources
effectively for sustainable benefits. Leadership is harnessing available human
energies to maximize community efforts and productivity. A leader who can do
that must be an empathetic listener, read vigorously and analytically,
critically observe others and collaborate respectfully, speak to create harmony
in order to persuade others to act. A true leader strives for excellence, so
leadership is service.
Indeed, leadership is hard work, which begins after
the contest is won. Again, upon reflection, I realized that it is the opposite
in Ghana. Here, one works hard during election campaign to mobilize supporters
who can convince people to vote for a contestant, because s/he might be rhetorical
or good looking or belong to a geographical area or possesses wealth. Once a
contestant jumps the election hurdle successfully, s/he can relax, enjoy hefty
service conditions, feed close associates and let the system run itself down.
Merely being elected earns one a title of good deed, whereas in other
communities, a leaders must excel to earn a title. Since election success is a
reward in Ghana, what else is left to motivate a leader to work hard.
Leadership is not just about the leader but also about
the people being led. Leaders can afford complacency when followers are
satisfied with crumbs. The latter swallow lofty promises only to be shunned
after elections. Often, the electorate complains of politicians who change
their phone numbers after they have won an election. Instead of going to the
people to mobilize them for fruitful works, the elected shun the electorate.
Many a Ghanaian leader leaves fully air-conditioned official house for the
official air-conditioned vehicle – leaves the air-condition on when they have
to consult or shop enroute – works from air-conditioned office and back to the
house, leadership in luxury. The beneficiary followers neither see nor hear nor
speak evil.
Because many Ghanaians know and accept this warped
sense of leadership, a true, innovative, determined, and assertive leader who
collaborates, serves by putting community first and utilize resources
effectively to pre-empt waste, becomes an adversary. That leader is derided
rather than commended for loyalty and commitment. The constant reward for such
committed leaders is painful isolation. Yet, such possess grit and maintain
their focus on humanity. Though exhausted, they trudge on to protect citizens
and national legacies, the combined strength of the committed few balancing the
outrageous strength of the delinquents to keep nation going, setting precedent,
and giving hope to the dedicated few.
