THE THIRD DAY
…hope
The future of leadership in Africa is about people. The hopes dreams and aspirations of all the souls across the continent. The people need to be part of the process if it is to succeed. Leadership should be recognized, cultivated, grown and established as a means of empowering the people to realize their aspirations. We need the collective momentum of the people participation to transform the nation.
Leadership in Africa has come through a great deal to be where it is today. But the social needs of Africa and the pace of global developments call for renewed leadership efforts that will not only see Africa realize the full benefit of nationhood but also become a major player in international events. Leadership in Africa has a clear international commitment, national assignment and social responsibility. These are exciting times for a land that has come through centuries of indignities and precarious development.
As leadership in Africa has unsteadily made its way forward over the last 50 years it has sought to implement adopted leadership theory and practice. Many of these paradigms meet poor application integration and socialization in local situations. Basic models must be derived from local contexts and built upon. Perhaps it is time that Africa developed new leadership theory to spearhead its leadership programs and its corporate development effort.
The rest of the world has not been asleep. Other continents have invested heavily in leadership platforms that have ensured their development and success over the years. Africa too must develop a leadership platform that will serve it well into the years ahead.
There is no doubt that leadership in Africa must prepare for the future today. Leadership in Africa is on a threshold of opportunity in the third millennium. From this threshold leadership must look forward – far forward in order to develop solutions that will outlive a generation. We cannot and must not go back to the first day. We must attend to the excitement and opportunity of a new day - the third day. The strategies must reflect social responsibility and encourage the participation of the people in the process. Leadership that does not incorporate the participation of its people cannot expect to achieve much in the long term.
THE THIRD DAY
Why is the third day so exciting and full of opportunity? Because Africa has only recently completed its transition from a nation of communities to a community of nations. It has been a long struggle but a credible and creditable performance. This will count for a great deal in the days to come.
Much of what we have witnessed (and participated in) over the last 50 years is but teething problems, we have yet to see the formed (weaned) nation. The nation has not come anywhere near its full potential. The world cannot afford to ignore Africa as an emerging market and socio-economic power. Outsiders have known this of Africa and tried to loot its resources for over a thousand years. The excitement is nail biting because if Africa learns from its mistakes and picks the right path there is no turning back. This is what leadership must have the courage to do. Pick the right path.
In thinking leadership we can create empowering frameworks that can make a difference in individual circumstances as well as corporate applications for leadership in Africa. Thinking leadership is necessary to realize the full benefits of organization. In thinking leadership we issue a challenge to leadership in Africa to accept social responsibility to think and take on the future.
Though individual aspects of organization and leadership have been addressed separately to highlight the special issues of organization and leadership development in Africa it is important to remember that only corporate and integrative solutions result in favourable transformation. Piecemeal strategies are likely to fall short of realizing real gains for society. This means that vision and strategy for the nation must run from generation to generation rather than term to term.