The great military general Napoleon Bonaparte said, “a leader is a dealer in hope”. The world is forever in search of solutions and answers. The answers lie in the minds of people, some with positions and others without.
Some of the best ideas have come from some unexpected places. I have come to the conclusion that ideas dwell in mortal beings regardless of whom they are.
ln a world faced with a plethora of challenges, notably the Covid19 induced commotion, my work found me engaged in a conversation with Nelson Chamisa, a leader in the Zimbabwean political playing field.
The discussion was centred on leadership especially from the standpoint of handling a crisis given the Covid19 storm that the world is fighting. The key take-home from our talk, which l feel every leader should run with was the fact that a leader must have the oxygen of ideas that inspire hope.
lt reminded me of the words of John Quincy Adams when he said;
“lf your actions inspire others to do more, learn more and become more, you are a leader.”
Being in touch with whoever you are leading becomes central as a way of keeping hope alive. The leader's heart must beat with empathy and flow with the oxygen of hope. This applies to business, spiritual, social and political leaders. True and genuine leadership comes down to modelling the way even amidst the crisis. Storms do come in life but they must be dealt with from a very positive standpoint.
Of interest in the conversation was the point raised by Nelson Chamisa which got me thinking when he said;
The leader is ultimately answerable to God. ln the immediate and current or present settings, every leader is answerable to the people being led.
l felt this was a legacy statement worth taking note of. l couldn't tell whether this statement was said from a political, spiritual or legal standpoint. lt is however neither here nor there, every leader must be answerable somewhere.
Decisions and actions engaged upon in the present or future ought to be gauged on the basis of your purpose as a human being who has been sent here to dispense a solution within a set season.
During the season of one's earthly pilgrimage, whether a leader or otherwise, sensitivity to the ultimate ought to be the rallying call. As we ply this terrestrial space, every leader must be governed and guided by the quest for the good of other world citizens. One should consider this to be a good guidepost which stands to make the world a better place to live in, whether there's a crisis to deal with or otherwise.
At the end of the day, a leadership legacy is not built in a day instead, it is always a daily commitment to do those things that make other people's pilgrimage worthwhile. You must be cognizant of the ultimate enquiry from posterity.
The ideas to make that happen, according to Nelson Chamisa, are free-flowing and they await to be tapped into by every leader desiring to make a lasting contribution in their area of leadership influence.
l pen off with the words of Mwai Kibaki who said;
“Leadership is the privilege to better the lives of others. lt is never an opportunity to satisfy personal greed.”
The Leadership Conversations are a series of talks engaged upon by Noah Mangwarara, your Leadership Coach, with various leaders in our communities, companies, churches, councils, cities and countries.
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