BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD LEADERSHIP. THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP An African proverb states, “An army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.” The difference is one of leadership. . Few things are more important to human activity than leadership. As John Maxwell once said, “everything in life rises or falls on leadership.” A leaderless entity is like an army without generals. I use to think that leaders were just born, but through my life experiences, I have come to understand and know that a leader is one who is mentored and developed. Being a leader has nothing to do with having a title, a post or a position. The problems confronting the African continent today are all attributed to the lack of good leadership thus the quest for good leadership has become a necessary requirement for governance and economic development. There is a crisis of leadership in our world today specially in Africa. Leadership has failed not only in political governance but in the faith community, the home, the institutions of learning, business and industry. Most of our leaders are lacking in integrity, selflessness and the pursuit of excellence. Our nations are not impoverished of qualified and educated people but they are desperately bankrupt when it comes to enlightened, competent, God fearing and visionary leaders of excellence. The leadership question has quite rightly, been the bane of Africa’s growth and development. For over five decades since most countries on the continent received political independence from colonialists, it has sadly been a story of political, civil and economic decline. A major reason for this, is due to our misguided notions of what constitutes good leadership. What makes a good leader? Can anyone be a leader? Are leaders born or are they made? These questions have been asked for centuries and many answers have been offered. Before we examine what good leadership looks like, let’s unpack what leadership is not. My good friend and colleague David Kadalie from South Africa in his book LEADERS RESOURCE KIT, makes the following observations of what leadership is not. 1. LEADERSHIP IS NOT MANAGEMENT Management involves itself with logistics, information and a system because it is essentially the stewardship of resources, and its concern is for making the organization more efficient. It involves itself with logistics, information and systems. 2. LEADERSHIP IS NOT ADMINISTRATION Administration is seeing that everything functions, as it should. We know that work must be done conscientiously. It is necessary for the paper work to be done efficiently…but this not leadership 3. LEADERSHIP IS NOT MINISTRY Ministry is the effective exercising of the gifts God has given a person. This may make the person the best preacher or the best religious teacher or the best counselor but not the best leader. Managers manage, administrators administer, ministers minister – and leaders lead. 4. LEADERSHIP IS NOT A TITLE OR POSITION Titles, position and a big desk do not make a leader. It is more than an office, whether appointed or elected. Seeking dominance and status is part of our corrupt nature. 5. LEADERSHIP IS NOT DEGREES. BA, MA, Ph.D., etc behind a person’s name only proves that he or she is well educated. But that does not make them a leader. 6. LEADERSHIP IS NOT PERSONALITY Too often organizations and religious entities are ruled by personalities who are not qualified leaders. They are outgoing and most often extremely self-centered. They may fill leadership positions but their motives are impure. 7. LEADERSHIP IS NOT WHO YOU KNOW OR WHAT YOU KNOW. It is who you are. Asking who is the leader is like asking who sings the tenor part is a quartet, says Henry Ford. To be the leader does not mean that you are more superior, or more gifted, or more intelligent, or more valuable than anyone else.. Merely that you are differently gifted and that you have a different role 8. LEADERSHIP IS NOT JUST GENETIC. Leaders are born and most are made. There are knowledge and skills of leadership that must be learnt – by observation, by hit and miss experience, by systematic training and by on-the-job mentoring 9. LEADERSHIP IS NOT DOING THINGS TO PEOPLE OR FOR PEOPLE. Doing things TO people often leads to exploitation. Doing things for people usually leads to paternalism. Leadership gets things done through people 10. LEADERSHIP IS NOT A SCIENCE BUT AN ART Mathematics, physics, Engineering are exact sciences. Leadership is an art. Just as each artist expresses himself or herself differently, so each leader expresses themselves in their own unique way. Having established what leadership is not, we will start to examine the various ingredients that make for good leadership. Let’s start or continue on this journey together.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 10:31:19 +0000
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