“Courage is not the absence of fear it’s inspiring others to move beyond it” Dr Nelson Mandela. Dr Mandela in this short statement emphasizes how imperative it is to have courage as a leader and to inspire the followers to move forward as a way of striving to achieve the goals that the leader has set. Most importantly, it is quite unequivocal in the statement that all this can be attained through selfless leadership which is the best in the world rather than self glory leadership which is the best in the world.
We’ve all had leaders who are really taken with their image in the mirror, so impressed by the power and influence they seemingly wield. They’re the center of attention, and pleasing them becomes the focus of all our efforts. It's easy for us to notice their selfishness as they push the people in our organizations to increase the bottom line. And yet they’re often unaware of just how easily we see through their shallow veneer.
Amongst the intriguing paradoxes in South Africa’s history is that this country was the last the one to be liberated on the African continent and yet amongst the first to be truly democratisized. This became possible after many centuries of colonialism and institutionalised segregation. Selfless leaders emerged and fought for non-racialism they won this war and this was won through selflessness, clear goals and through the support of the followers. This is the form of leadership that is the best for the world.
The daring question that most leaders have failed to actively answer through great deeds is: “What is leadership?” Many great leaders have come and gone and many of them have failed to answer this question while they were in power, leaders like Uganda’s Idi Amin, Germany’s Adolf Hitler and many others, their actions have contradicted this important definition, because they have become dictators, and worse the best leaders in the world instead of being the best for the world.
Leadership is an important aspect in every organisation; it is an aspect that is led by the spirit of courage, patriotism and selflessness. It must be understood in this definition that the leader is the one who sets goals that allows others to follow him and then get involved, this then leaves us with the pillars of leadership that are interdependent which are the leader, goal, selflessness and the followers.
Leaders who are the best for the world have the interests of the people at heart, they set goals that have selflessness at heart and goals that are conducive to the development and benefit of the followers. It is for this and may more reasons that this form is leadership is imperative in this world, because in the current status-quo selfless leadership is dearth and it is replaced by leadership that is the best in the world that is led by selfishness and personal interests at heart.
Selfish leaders generally fear two things. First, that they'll be exposed as incompetent. And second, that by their unwillingness to make the same sacrifices they demand of others, everyone will recognize them as an imposter and not a leader. Motivation from intimidation is a sure sign of insecurity and fear from leaders who, deep down, know they owe their followers more resources and less pressure.
This can be justified by looking at the current status-quo that we have as well as the continuous gap that continues to widen between the First World and the Third World as well as the gap between the rich and the poor, which was caused as a result of replacing selflessness with selfishness.
Our educational system is chaos since 1994 we have changed our curriculums, our parastatals are experiencing mismanagement, board members are always resigning and being given millions of rands, yet millions of South Africans are in need of jobs, establishing an small enterprise in South Africa takes five useless procedures and months to establish like it is a multinational corporation that is established according to the World Bank report, the state is wasting millions of rands on the private property of the head of state instead of using the state’s public property, National Director of Public Prosecutions are appointed without following the proper channels envisaged in the constitution, south African courts are ineffective in ensuring justice and cases of politicians are associated with political interference instead of letting the law take its course. Now the daring question is: “was this the form of leadership that we voted into power to create such chaos?”
It is about time that we have leaders that understand the importance the of constructing the importance of new narrative, a narrative of change, progress, economic growth and development as well as a great effective educational system that is conducive to the growth of future leaders, a government that is the best for the people, one that has the interests of the people at heart, a narrative that was written down by selfless leaders.
The responsibility of service is key to greatness and the form of service that we are talking about should be selfless service, exuded by selfless leaders who are the best for the world and not the best in the world. Leadership that is the best for the world is instrumental in the attainment of social cohesion, social justice as well as environmental justice. This form of leadership is one that has the interests of the people at heart and is led by the pillars of leadership.
In closing, leadership that is the best in the world is led by greed, personal glory and self interests, this is the form of leadership that is responsible for the current status-quo that our continent is in, women and youth underdevelopment, high unemployment as well as poverty and crimes against humanity. It must be a thing of the past for selfless leadership is at the heart of social cohesion and development
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