Understanding The Essence Of A Leader And Leadership - Gen. Dr. Akol Ayii Madut On Pathfinder

By: Deng Emmillo Mou South Africa-Pretoria.

Introduction

A lot has been explained by researchers, mainly people who have held one leadership position or the other, on what leadership vis-a-vis being a leader encompasses. Sadly, most of us do not know or succinctly understand that leadership is a very complex process in every human life endeavour. In this article, we will be exposed to what leadership is all about, what it is not, its weakness, challenges and essence.

What is leadership?

Leadership is a herculean task; a complex process in life. Leadership is beyond what we think it is. It is beyond mere giving and receiving. It is beyond mere leading and administering. It is also beyond mere executing and commissioning. Thus, it is a mystery. This is one of the reasons a good leader is supposed to learn all the time, and adjust to what is best for him and his followers. 

Leadership is a goal. It requires persistence, perseverance and commitment to accomplish the desired result. Persistence in that, a leader must not allow anything, spiritual or physical, to stop him from accomplishing what is expected of him by the people. On perseverance, he must not allow any negative emotions to weigh him down completely. Gen. Dr. Akol Ayii Madut (PhD) He must be committed to actualizing his works against all odds. He must keep on keeping on until the desired goal is scored for the people of South Sudan to jubilate and of course, celebrate his landslide achievements.

Leadership is much more than what we take it to be, it goes beyond mere leading a people to leaving lasting impression on the people. It goes beyond just directing, representing and making things better for the people.

Leadership is a deep well of sacrifice and wisdom. It requires lots of wise-decision making for the greater benefit of the people. Leadership requires hard work in action, persistence in purpose and consistency in vision to actualize the desired goal set in by the leader for the good of the people. Thus, a good leader must not allow anything to stop him from actualizing what he planned for his followers. He must be determined to see his dreams come to reality and earn a niche. 

What leadership is not.

Leadership is not a partnership affair. It must be without any form of "blemish" such as; sentiment, bias, partiality and compromise. Thus, it must be "pure" in fairness, justice, equity and transparent for all. Any leadership riddled with “blemish” is bound for destruction. It is usually the one that can easily attract lots of criticisms from all sides, most especially from a perceived enemy camp. 

The ingredients of leadership

♡ Firmness in decision making: Leadership requires being firm in decision making. A good leader must be firm with the followers. He must, after due consultation with his subordinates, be very firm in executing the plans reached with the people. He must not allow any external influence or person to control him in doing so. Permitting so is cowardice and subject to mockery from the people. In consequence, leadership requires durability in dealing with all manners of negative criticisms. 

A good leader must be able to contain all negative criticisms. He must not let negative criticisms discourage him; rather, he must look at them skeptically, pick up those which seem constructive and treat them accordingly. He must not allow emotions to control him as well; especially when handling negative comments from the followers. Permitting so is chicken-hearted and subject to ridicule from the people.

♥ Maintenance of life principle: Leadership also requires maintaining one's life principle in accomplishing the established mission for the betterment of the people.

A good leader must keep a pact with his integrity and must not bend to any of his life principles in dealing with dubious and dishonest matters or persons. He must try to remain resilient, resolute and responsive, no matter the circumstances. Permitting so is corruption and subject to disrespect from the people.

♡ Stick to people’s wise opinion: The opinion of the people must not be neglected by a good leader because an opinion is one of the ingredients for a successful leadership in any life endeavour. They aid in building the leader for greater transformation in both personal and communal arrangements. The voice of the people, as popularly said, is the voice of God.

Good leadership

Good leadership is beyond mere listening to the plights of the followers. A leader must not only listen to the plights of his people, and subsequently take necessary steps/action in implementing what is/ought to be done; but must also ensure its full implementation, maintenance and sustainability. Beginning is half done. Ending is well done. 

Anything positive that is done for the greater benefit of the followers must be well sustained so the generations yet unborn can benefit from it. Sustainability is key to the path of legacy for a leader. For without sustainability, a leader might not be recognised for what he has done in the life of his people during and after his reign.

Weakness in leadership

♥ Mistakes: No good leader is a perfect being. All leaders are bound to make mistakes in dealing with the people. They make mistakes of not accurately dealing with what people expected from them; which usually, could be due to unavoidable situations surrounding that time. 

Yes, leaders are bound to fail in fulfilling their promises to the people. They are bound to disappoint many people, which usually, are not an intentional move from them; rather, the circumstances at the time might warrant such behavioural disappointments.  

And so, it is expected that people show utmost understanding with leaders that they believed in the first place. Most important than necessary, the people should apply courtesy and decorum while relating with their leaders. Because, in so doing, it makes the leader feel encouraged and appreciated for his efforts so far in the journey of leadership.

Encouragement and appreciation for one little step taken moves a leader to channel efforts, from all means possible, to do more work. 

Dignity of a good leader

¤ Be faithful: A good leader must remain faithful and steadfast. He/she must not lose faith in his/her belief. 

¤ Be responsible: A good leader must take responsibility. He/she must not neglect his/her primary duties and responsibilities of catering for the people. He/she must own up. 

¤ Put people first: A good leader must put his/her people first, ahead of any other things. People first; because, people are supreme and the reason one is there as a leader. The majority has the key to a fulfilling society; so the door must be widely opened by the leader for their good. Closing the door on the people is not only outrageously evil but also superficially wicked. When the people are happy, the leader's reign will be most revered.

Similarly, when the people are comfortable, the leader's reign will be long. Hence, the hailing words, "Long may you live on the throne, your Majesty!”, “long live your General”, etc which usually is the helper of the people. 

The challenges of a leader and its antidote

》The followers: The biggest challenge faced by leaders is the followers themselves. Leaders are faced with difficulties when the followers are not cooperative, submissive and committed. They face it when the followers are not diplomatic and patient. Leaders are faced with difficult tasks when the followers do not criticize constructively. Such and many more are the headaches of a true leader. 

However, the antidote to the persistent headache remains the followers. 

The solution to a problem often lies in the root of the problem itself. Thus, followers need to cooperate with their leaders in achieving the desired goal of any human, material or spiritual endeavour. The followers should be committed to help proffer solutions to a perceived problem. It is corruption for a follower to criticize without providing the solutions needed to remedy the problems/situations on ground. 

Above this, the followers need to exercise patience at all times with their leaders, while their bulls (matters) are being taken by the horns and treated accordingly. 

》Cooperation: Cooperation is the engine of leadership. It helps the leader to move forward and achieve greater success for the benefit of all. While a diplomatic approach from the followers can help a leader to take matters serious and important as they come; patience from the followers helps a leader to reason accurately and bring an expected satisfaction to the people. Diplomacy fuels the passion of a leader; patience oils the engine and appreciation moves the wheels.

The Essence of leadership

> Lasting impression: The essence of leadership is to leave unforgettable lasting impressions on the people. That is, establishing a solid foundation that is of utmost importance and of beneficial usefulness that the people can enjoy for many generations to come. 

An 'impactful' leadership remains an evergreen wheel of progress in the heart of the people. To make the people feel a sense of belonging, fulfillment should be the ultimate goal of any true leader. 

It follows therefore that the essence of leadership is not to enjoy life at the detriment of the people. It is not about spending extravagantly on yourself in order to impress the people. It is not about leaving the people to extreme suffering and hardship, while as a leader, enjoys abundant luxury and peaceful comfort.

> Build the people: The essence of leadership is to build the people for greater emancipation and societal transformation. Building the people in all positive and entrepreneurial ways, building the people for greater transformation and renewal of the society they live in. 

A good leader should try to provide all raw materials needed to build his people and supervise the construction of their minds, as well. It also follows that the essence of leadership is to work on the felt needs of the people and satisfy them in the long run. Satisfying people's felt needs makes them proclaim the leader a generational colossus worthy of celebration, recognition and honour. 

People are the core reason a leader is there in the first place; hence, supplying and also providing what they want becomes a priority that must not be neglected. Where there is no leader, the people perish; because a society or an organisation without a leader is vanity. The future is indeed dead without the people. It is a leader that drives the emotions of the people.

An unproductive leader begets an unproductive society. And an unproductive society begets an unsatisfied society whereby the people breed among themselves hatred, frustrations, and such other ill-feelings.

Conclusion

Every leader has a huge responsibility to treat his people right, to give them memorable achievements and to guide their minds towards becoming the pillars of the future. There is no future without the people because, human beings are God's opinion that the world should roll on its wheels. 

Thank you for your attention. 

Welcome to the year of 2022. Stay fruitful!.

This article is dedicated to all members of Agents for Positive Transformation (APT) south Sudan for their unconditional love and upbeat support. God bless you all, Amen.