7.4 New Leadership Paradigm for Ethical Leadership
7.4.3 Principles of the new Leadership Paradigm
As we reflect on a new paradigm of leadership, we should advance and be cognisant of the narrative that instead of constantly enumerating what has been done wrong by leaders in our history, we should now ask ourselves inclusively, what, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, we are doing as individuals, members of organisations, part of a community, professions of whatever station we have in society, to advance the cause of Africa and the dignity of its people. What are we doing to advance the spirit of Ubuntu leadership and followership as a precursor to developing our countries and continent? It is in light of the above that in the new leadership paradigm from the smallest station to the National and Continental leadership we observe a few principles ‘I’ consider indispensable to effective ethical leadership.
7.4.3.1 Envision
First like our founding Fathers’ of the freedom generation and those that preceded them in fighting colonial occupation, present and future generations of leaders should be implored to hold fast to a new vision of the continent and their individual countries and stations where unity, peace and prosperity is the ultimate goal. The leaders must remain steadfast to their convictions, underpinned by morality and humanity. They must constantly strive to achieve their vision in the face of all obstacles and resistance from friends or foes. The leaders must be alive to the fact that the road to prosperity is not a stroll in the park but rather an arduous and perilous but rewarding undertaking. The task must be pursued with agility, initiative, depth and synchronized to achieve common outcomes. In order to envision, the leadership
175
must tap into the wisdom of forebears and insightfully explore and employ new knowledge in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The leaders must not just be orators of the vision, but they must be stewards who can also walk the talk leading from the most vantage point where they can use wisdom to think in depth, see things in depth and ultimately act the encounters in a deep and effective way. The ultimate depth to be achieved is when leaders can martial all national resources to include ‘people’ in a manner that creates synergy for goal accomplishment. No vision can ever succeed when leaders operate in the narrow confines of political parties, ethnic, religious and racial groupings. Leaders must develop a broader all- embracing posture which creates a united, social and functioning entity.
7.4.3.2 Appreciate the Past inorder to build the Future
So often you hear Africans preach the message that ‘forget the past it’s behind us’. This in my view is illogical and defies African age old wisdom which in Shona says, ‘Usakanganwe chezuro nehope’ translated meaning is that ‘avoid short memories’ and also ‘kwaunobva kanda huyo, kwaunoenda usiku’ meaning don’t forget where you are coming from because your destination is uncertain. Similarly in crude manner the English expression that ‘we can forgive but we will not forget simply tells us that its fallacy to wish away the past. In order to understand where we are headed, current and future leaders must forge a deep appreciation of where the African renewal journey has taken us so far and how we have arrived where we are today. Africa stands proudly upon the legacies of millions of individuals who sacrificed their entire lives to ensuring that future generations would have a better life and greater opportunities.
Whilst we reflect on the journeys travelled by the freedom generation of leaders, we must never forget that the struggle was fought not by leaders alone, but the thousands upon thousands who provoked conversations and debate in town halls, in the communal homesteads, schools, university lecture halls, in markets or even in the township bars and taverns. The struggle was everyone’s war and each person was a self-contained command post hence the view that the new leadership paradigm must embrace everyone’s purposive participation in the new vision. The new leadership must Drive change on the energy of all citizen regardless of colour, race, creed, ethnic group or political affiliation. A future of success must be a cherished common commodity. With the above in mind it is prayed that current and future leaders must skillfully scrutinize and reflect on our past in order to construct a prosperous future.
176 7.4.3.3 Globalise, Localise and Connect
Chitsva chiri muru tsoka is a Shona proverb which means you can only discover new knowledge about the world if you travel. Whilst the travel was physical in similar manner to the Chinese saying that a thousand mile journey starts with one step, today in this increasingly interconnected world, the current and next generation of leaders and citizens must view themselves from the perspective of the global as well as the local. Uniquely empowered through new technologies and new social constructs, an opportunity to gather unprecedented amounts of new knowledge and to connect and mobilise thousands upon thousands of like-minded individuals across the globe has been presented. As leaders and citizens of the future, the most honoured responsibility is to use the newly acquired global knowledge for enhancing the local environment. Hybridisation of knowledge built upon a firm footing of Ubuntu culture will mean as Africans it’s possible to acquire new knowledge, integrate it into our designs and develop purely African solutions to solve our challenges.
Globalisation, rather than being a challenge to African culture and way of life can be a rare opportunity not to be missed which also cannot be wished away. In globalization there is diversity which as a strength can teach us to appreciate other cultures but at the same time maintain our own as the yardstick and foundation for any innovation.
7.4.3.4 Drive Change through Transformation
In order for nations and organisations to usher in a new developmental trajectory, there is need for a total mindset shift in leadership practice. Leaders have to move from top down leadership centered styles to inclusive participatory interactions. Leaders have to mobilize, motivate and empower followers so that they voluntarily commit themselves to perform beyond the call of duty. In order to achieve intrinsic follower motivation, leaders must be able to inculcate the spirit of harmony, solidarity, empathy, unity and co-operation across rank, gender, and other social affiliations. The spirit of Ubuntu must be invoked at the work place, in the family, in the church and in all life’s pursuits and the goal should be to create a united family like solidarity atmosphere. The imperatives for transformative change are urgent, necessary and indispensable. As Africans we must stand tall and proud with the knowledge that our culture has withstood with valour and resilience the negative effects of over a century of domination. We achieved the impossible and tamed the untamable. We transformed the once enslaved to the new master, instead of vengeance we magnanimously created egalitarian dispensations accommodative of past foes and friends. The same miraculous feats of magnanimity displayed by the Mandelas and Nyereres of the freedom generation should be the same spirit to drive the transformation to Africas future. The
177
magnanimity of king Moshoeshoe who refused to revenge but accommodate the killers of his ancestors, the cannibals, should be the same spirit which should drive Africas future, national and global interactions and relationships. Reconciliation, accommodation, peace and justice should be the bedrock of our survival. Harmony and order, resonance and community should underpin our pursuits for life success. As leaders and followers, change and transformation to a newer peaceful and prosperous order should be a cherished and well guarded ideal. The tragedy of the post-colonial post freedom generation improprieties of military coupists, dictators, despots and unprincipled adventurers masquerading as national and continental leaders should be confined to the archives of history and only referred to as reference to taboos never to be repeated in a newer authentic and sophisticated African leadereship culture.
7.4.3.5 Establishment of Transcendent Institutions
The failure of African leadership has been in the main, from an analytical perspective, attributed to the absence or non-existence of strong governance institutional frameworks and this has largely resulted in the compromise to the rule of law. When there is no rule of law, survival becomes a case of the fittest devouring the weak and this results in anarchic societies synonymous with the situation in some countries in Southern Africa. Management of successful economies, sound inclusive financial leadership fight against kleptocracy and institutionalized crime and corruption, delivery of justice and effective provision of basic life necessary services in health, poverty alleviation and other social amenities should all be predicated on the existence or establishment of transcendental institutions which must live beyond the life or tenure of individual leaders. Africas tragedy has been partly because of its insatiable appetite for ushering in new orders of governance to suit individual tastes. Each leader who comes in wants to start anew hence the learning curve never ends. Institutional memory and continuity which are critical components of any successful dispensation are compromised in the process. You need institutional memory to dig into past archives in order to avoid obvious pitfalls. It is said only fools want to learn from their mistakes otherwise there is wisdom in the Shona proverb ‘Takabva neko kumhunga hakuna ipwa’ literaly meaning that there is nothing new under the sun, therefore use ancient wisdom to chart an intelligent future.
Leaders must establish effective governance institutions to guarantee the citizens access to their government. There should be adequate checks and balances to assure transparency, accountability and impartiality. Civil society must be strengthened and their role in holding
178
leaders accountable should be magnified. In Ubuntu, transparency, accountability and impartiality as well as the oversight role of the citizenry or followers are entrenched through the Dare (Governing Council Arrangement). Decisions of the Dare are always consensual hence the strength of African democracy is its inclusive nature of dialogue and strong consultative structures which eliminate room for unnecessary retrogressive dissent.
7.4.3.6 Managing Succession
One of the hall marks of good, effective and successful ethical leadership is grooming and transforming followers into successful leaders in their own right. Those who voluntarily hand over power to those they are confident about will retire in grace and honour with the full knowledge that the affairs of the state will remain in safe hands. The tragedy of Africa though is that once someone gets into a position of leadership, it is by divine right that they remain there. Examples are abound of life presidents’ who died in office, leaders who believed they were the only capable ones staying in office in perpetuity and those who manipulated the electoral systems and tempered with constitutions just to get the passport to hang on to power. In most cases power and leadership changes have resultantly been through military interventions, popular peoples’ uprisings and forced power changes through manipulation of party machinery. In South Africa, except for the transition between Mandela and Mbeki, all the other transitions have been acrimonious and embarrassing ousters. In Zimbabwe long ruling Robert Mugabe had to be removed with the aid of the military. Throughout his long reign he used to say it was not his responsibility to anoint and groom a successor and that he would live once the people said so, but when the people marched into the streets pressing for his ouster he advanced that those calling for his ouster were sponsored opposition and it had to take an impeachment motion to finally convince him to quit. In similar manner, when Zuma was pressed to leave on allegations of state capture and corruption he vehemently refuted the charges and only managed to say that he did not see anything wrong in what he did whilst in office. In other dispensations leaders had forced the changes in constitutions to facilitate their long stay in office and the net effect of these manouvres has been wide scale disgruntlement which at times has resulted in dissent and rebellion. Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda are examples where constitutions have been changed to facilitate the extensions of Presidential tenure, but all are now fighting incessant rebellions. With the above in mind, Africa needs a new model of succession and transition planning which caters for predictability and harmonious transition from one leader to the next.
179
African dance culture provides a practical model for leadership change and transition culture.
The Muchongoyo dance, Jerusarema dance and even the Shangara (all Zimbabwean dances and similar ones in South Africa) are conducted in a circular formation. People dance to the drum beat and singing. In turns a dancer goes into the ring, picks on a partner and they display all their known skills to the best of their ability. At the pick of their display onlookers ululate and clap hands in approval or disapproval after which the couple gives way to the next cognizant that overstaying in the ring brings boredom and ultimate booing which will be disgraceful. The moral of this dance culture is that as a leader volunteer your service, perform to the best achievable level and give way to others when you are still appreciated. The saying Ushe madzoro musiyidzanwa reinforces the idea of rotational leadership. Dzoro is a practice of rotational herding of cattle where each cattle owner take turns to herd the beasts hence similarly leadership is everyone’s responsibility and never to be reposed in one person.
The key responsibility for the new generation of leaders is therefore their capacity to develop and inculcate a culture of responsibility into all citizens so that they become moral torch bearers who can assume leadership at any time irrespective of their station in life. The entire follower population must be developed into self-leaders who will find higher responsibility as a call to duty and not as an avenue to self-aggrandizement.