LEADERSHIP carries the future of any country, company or consortium. Whatever the leader excels in as an individual it is reflected in the results, and its effects spill into the future.
The future will not change as long as we are using the same concepts in trying to make it better. In fact as a country if we do not change the way we tackle our situations we will either stagnant or regress.
The situation may worsen, or remain the same as long as we do not want to change and that is what most leaders don’t want to hear.
The question is: What cripples the future? Its leadership! John C Maxwell always says “Everything rises and falls on leadership”. Let us focus on things that cripple the future which must be avoided at all costs by every leader:
Leaders failing to build the future now
The future is replete with possibilities as long as we put our thoughts to it, plan and work towards its success. We must not wait for the future to bring us better results, but we must work today to change our tomorrow.
We must put greater interest in the future because that it is where we will spend the rest of our lives in. We should not wait for tomorrow, but work wittingly today as to leave a legacy.
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Leaders failing to invest in future leaders
The structures of mentorship should be accommodative enough to train the future leaders. This pertains to any individual, nation or organisation. If we fail to groom and grow the next leader, we fail our future.
Leaders failing to accept that they are not permanent
Being on the top is always comfortable and when most leaders get there they fail to accept the fact that someone has to take their position one day. It’s like the drug of power hunger and obsession blurs them from the reality of the future. We free the future if we accept the fact that we are not permanent and that someone should come and lead in our place one day.
Leaders that are insecure
The greatest tragedy is to be led by insecure leaders. They think that someone somewhere could be plotting their down fall or want to take over their position. The leader has to be ready to be replaced one day. How does he do that?
He prepares for an exit strategy as soon as he gets into a leadership position. Make it a good exit, by preparing other people to take over when you have finished your tenure.
Leadership that fails to anticipate change
Change always comes, whether you are prepared for it or not. Its either you are an agent of change or you are merely following change or you are just being tossed by winds of change.
Great leaders love change, they anticipate change. It is very unfortunate that we might find ourselves using old and irrelevant instruments in trying to improve the future.
Trying to cure a new ailment using not only old but expired drugs is equally dangerous; death is eminent. Do not let the future die in your hands.
In reality the issue is not about curing the symptoms but dealing with the root cause using right principles and apparatus. John Maynard Kynes once said, “The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones”.
Leaders that do not want to learn from their mistakes
Leaders have to learn from their mistakes and most importantly from the mistakes of others.
What hurt other leaders should not hurt you. Wisdom calls leaders to learn from others not to do the same thing that hurts others.
Leaders fighting other leaders
In Africa we say when two elephants fight, the grass suffers the most. There is a saying in Chinese that goes: “People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes”. Fighting leaders cripple the future. How do you learn from a person you are fighting with?
Leaders that do not want to be responsible
Leaders should be responsible and accountable. Leaders should dwell much on the WHY part, than the WHAT part? The reason why you are doing a thing will determine your motive.
The motive could be individualistic and insatiability, that cripples corporate development.
We have seen leaders who sanitise their ugly actions, because there was a gain for them; this is very unacceptable.
Parting point:
Confucius once said, “To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right”
Jonah Nyoni is an author, success coach, leadership trainer and public relations consultant.
Tel: 0772 581 918. Email:
[email protected] Web: www.successlife.co.zw
