For God, Nana - my daughter & Africa - my country
AUTHOR
Allan Bukusi is leadership trainer, speaker, and entrepreneur. He trains corporate organizations on leadership, management and personal development. He has conducted assignments in West, East and Southern Africa training participants from different parts of Africa. Allan has a first degree in science, postgraduate in Education and is a Masters In leadership and enterprise. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Human Resources Management (K) and chairman of the Professional Trainers Association (K). He can be reached on email at allanbukusi@mdi.co.ke or allanbukusi@gmail.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
All those who have gone before and have left a trail that can be evaluated have aided this work. I acknowledge that challenging norms and questioning accepted principles might not be easy without causing some measure of discomfort to those with divergent views. I hope that focus on the issues rather than positions will help us all refine and improve leadership practice.
A lot of exploratory reading and research went into this book to review leadership development in Africa from a compressed historical perspective. It was not our aim to make it an academic text. It had to qualify first as readable, challenging and empowering. In preparing this book, I reviewed writing on cultural themes, records on slavery and missionary activity, documentation on colonialism in Africa, current documentation on UN Africa initiatives, NEPAD documents, Leader biographies, material on leadership, news reports and a series of discussions with Stanley Chege on cultural themes and leadership in Africa in late 2003.
Lukakha’s critique of the initial draft (which was more of a collection of essays) helped formulate the final form of the book. Integrated alongside is my own experience and exposure on leadership development in the corporate environment. The condensed lessons and leadership models are intended to make the book a useful record and reference tool for leadership development in all spheres of society in Africa. Thank you Ida for going through the final copy. It’s been a long trek to get the work done and I am lucky, grateful and fortunate to have had my family support, great colleagues, customers, clients and Gods blessing of Life to get it all done. Thank you
THE LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE
Leadership is indeed about the way we think, approach, influence and affect matters around us. Leadership starts with and emphasizes the thought process. If leadership is about the way we think then everyone can participate in the leadership process. This does not mean that leadership is a free for all after the manner of a brawl. Leadership is a discipline that calls for social responsibility rather than individual freedom. Leadership must make a value adding contribution within an organization and society at large. Leadership is a matter of considered opinion rather than simple expression. It must be condensed wisdom that is evaluated in terms of social value rather than a mere point of view. Everyone exercises leadership whenever they accept, take up and act in line with their social responsibility. To add value to the reader and help unravel a better understanding of the concept of leadership and applications of leadership in organization we choose a point of reference. Africa; Home of our interpretation, position of perspective and point of reflection. We discuss leadership as a collective responsibility and a collaborative effort for the success and future of Africa and so the title; THINKING LEADERSHIP IN AFRICA.
Our challenge to you is to think leadership, exercise leadership and take up leadership as a personal responsibility within society. Each of us can help create and contribute to social improvement, empowerment, positive change and corporate growth by actively participating in leadership in Africa.
By being part of the process we can harness individual efforts, contributions and participation into a great momentum for change that will transform Africa into a vibrant socio-economic enterprise. This must be a leadership initiative and not an imposition. If this book provokes you to think about participating in leadership, it will have served its purpose. If you take up your role in leadership in Africa your environment will change. If you accept your responsibility, Africa will be transformed.