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OPENING ADDRESS TO THE BMF CONFERENCE:
“THE TRANSFORMATIONAL MINDSET AND LEADERSHIP REQUIREMENT FOR A
DEVELOPMENTAL STATE”
BY
DR RJ KHOZA
CHAIRMAN OF AKA CAPITAL AND THE NEDBANK GROUP
11 OCTOBER 2007
THE VALUE OF AFRICAN LEADERSHIP IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT
The theme of this year's conference: “The Transformational
Mindset and Leadership Requirement for a Developmental State”
is, I believe, as important as it is awesome. A transformational
mindset has to be one that is poised for fundamental change.
Inherent within that mindset must lie the type of leadership
which has to move the state from where it is to become
developmental. I am not going to embark on a deep analysis of
this profound and daunting concept, but I do want to make a few
fleeting remarks on the concept of the transformational mindset
and its pertinence to a developmental state.
First of all, let me stress that a developmental state is an
imperative. Anything short of that, particularly in our African
environment, is an anachronism. The mindset required to bring
this developmental state into being must of necessity be
multi-dimensional, and above all visionary. At the most basic
level, it visualises the goals clearly, and impelled by a sense
of destiny, takes confident, bold action to attain them. At a
deeper level however, the thinking is generational, long-term,
aimed not at immediate, short-lived gains.
Consequently the transformational mindset is dynamic. It is not
transactional, operating on the basis of quid pro quo to avoid
making waves. It shuns mediocrity and strives for excellence, so
status quo means little, apart from a boat that needs to be
rocked, and if necessary, capsized - all the while ensuring,
however, that nobody drowns! It rightly abhors the
all-too-common tendency to elevate mediocrity to a virtue, but
demands that people stretch themselves as individuals and as a
nation to surpass the bonds of the average and ordinary. This
mindset, particularly in our youthful democracy, must shun
populism, which encourages people to act, not as a result of
considered thought, but in response to raging emotion.
Finally, the transformational mindset is one that cannot
conceive defeat, it transforms breakdowns into breakthroughs, it
turns stumbling blocks into building blocks.
The very make-up of this mindset means those who possess it make
things happen, they do not wait for things to happen to them. As
William Jennings Bryan so aptly phrased it: "Destiny is no
matter of chance. It is a matter of choice: it is not a thing to
be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." Gary Hamel drives
the point home: "Only those who can imagine and pre-emptively
create the future will be around to enjoy it."
Knowing this, and looking with cold realism at the lessons of
the past, we must realise that if we should find ourselves in an
untoward situation, with faulty leadership, the African
intelligentsia will be to blame for not intervening and
influencing matters in accordance with a transformational
mindset and the principles I will touch on in this address.
We cannot be led by the blind or self-obsessed. We are imbued
with vision. We must have the courage to step up to the plate
and be counted. Perhaps, as Shakespeare said, we have had
"greatness thrust upon us" - but let us not be afraid of that
greatness. It is incumbent upon us to grasp our destiny and
create our vision, able to deal with the many complexities of
the developmental state and stand toe to toe with fellow leaders
globally.
With that in mind, let us take a brief look at what value our
African leadership has in this global context. And I know that
the cynics will laugh the very concept out of court. "African
leadership?" Surely that's an oxymoron? Admittedly, Africa has
had its fair share of lamentably despicable manifestations of
leadership - as have other continents, but it also lays claims
to considerable brilliance.
We have had concerned and compassionate leaders, such as
Senegalese President, Leopold Senghor, who believed so strongly
in "Negritude", the expression of the values of traditional
Africa as they are embodied in the thinking and institutions of
African society, not however with a desire to return to outmoded
customs, but rather to embrace their original spirit. The
concept had a profound impact on the globe and has deeply
influenced the strengthening of African identity, particularly
in the French-speaking black world
We could mention Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who sowed the first seeds of
African independence, and Julius Nyerere who, with others, first
envisioned and strove for the power of Pan-Africanism.
In South Africa we have our own legendary Rolihlahla Nelson
Mandela - revered all over the world for his stature. In the
religious sphere, who can forget the persistent, highly
principled Desmond Tutu who will not shirk from challenging what
he believes to be deviant, locally, nationally, continentally
and globally! We can also pride ourselves on our current
president, who takes the trouble to think about fundamental
issues confronting the continent and moves to tackle them in a
manner that makes people listen.
So yes, the cynics can prefer to point to the disasters and
maintain that Africans do not evidence leadership, but they
would be denying the global recognition afforded by such
acknowledgement as the Nobel Peace Prize to men of the stature
of Albert Luthuli, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and FW de Klerk.
I have no doubt that the great leaders among us pose many
lessons not only for ourselves but the world. And we don't need
to refer to the glories of some long lost past to try to
convince ourselves that we have value to offer. The very fact
that our nation, racially polarised for centuries, was not
plunged into bloody civil war, but is being increasingly
depolarised and humanised is evidence enough of visionary
leadership. Mandela's transformational leadership has led to the
emergence of a nation deserving of global adulation.
Look further afield. His leadership in Libya elicited penitence
from a previously belligerently obdurate state by seeing
opposing points of view, softening hardened stances and aligning
parties in pursuit of a common constructive purpose.
But if we are going to understand the essence of true
leadership, I think it is important to realise what ideals these
leaders were nurturing: what is the Africa of their vision?
It is an Africa that has taken the traditional African concepts
of humanity, community , interdependence and inclusivity, and
all that Ubuntu represents, and translated them into living
models of government and institutional and individual relations.
This Africa is self-sufficient and fuelled by its own technology
and skills. It is not dominated by either western or eastern
issues, images and aspirations but follows its own inherent
dreams. Its peoples do not look elsewhere for the future of
their children, but invest in their own roots. This Africa will
not seek to re-invent the wheel, it will learn from the skill
and expertise of others, but to fulfil its own aims, not to
power the agenda of others. So it has turned the term "emerging"
into something powerful and enviable. It has put the past behind
it and reaches for the future with innovation, vision and
determination. In short, it is a country which embraces its
destiny.
So what kind of leader will achieve these goals? Certainly not
one who espouses populism, or who stumbles into leadership by
favouring mediocrity or blind consensus.
I believe the transformational leader will have the vision,
endurance and forbearance epitomised in our South African
reconciliation process. The world has much to learn from this
event and the leadership that brought it to pass. Here there is
a humanity and magnanimity of spirit that argues that
reconciliation is a far superior value to vindictiveness. It
goes beyond the petty urge for personal revenge to grasp the
broader issues of nationhood. It shuns the dogma and doctrinal
restraints of partisan interests to seek the greater good. This
African leadership evinces compassion and empathy which enables
one to see things from others' point of view and from there, to
forgive and go forwards together to find constructive solutions.
There are great lessons of humility for us inherent in this type
of leadership which does not thrust itself forward, but
understands that to achieve visions and goals, it is necessary
to work in tandem with others who can also symbolise and
articulate a shared vision. Walter Sisulu is the obvious
example. Such a person identifies talent, promotes and
complements it to find even greater expression. There is no
place for rivalry, competition or envy. His leadership led to
the moulding of the next great African leader, Nelson Mandela,
who assimilated these values and was inspired to reach far
beyond himself to make destiny happen, for himself and for the
country.
Paradoxically therefore, the leader is the servant. In
consulting and promoting genuine accommodation of others' points
of view, this leader commands a willing following. He seeks
consensus, but not to the point of inertia and inaction. On the
contrary, he is decisive and strong-minded. He has the courage
to go to the root of problems, not merely gloss the leaves to
make the plant look pretty.
Transformational leadership such as this makes a clear choice
between past and future, the "establishment" and the "movement".
As I mentioned earlier, it is dynamic, it reaches out for its
destiny. Gary Hamel described it very succinctly, "The future
belongs not to those who possess a crystal ball, but to those
willing to challenge the biases and prejudices of the
'establishment.'…The goal is not to predict the future, but to
imagine a future made possible by changes in technology, life
style, work style, regulation, global geopolitics and the like."
African leadership draws deeply on the principles of Ubuntu and
as such has much to offer the world. African leadership seeks to
understand others before it imposes its understanding on them:
the complete opposite of much of western culture. It values
humanity, finding a common purpose, and is not predicated on the
idea that if you are not for us then you are against us. It will
search for ways to reintegrate, not dislocate.
Leadership underpinned by African values should and does live by
the tenets of consultation persuasion, accommodation and
cohabitation; it shuns coercion and domination. It understands
that the success of others does not diminish it own success but
adds to the commonwealth. It appreciates that those who differ
from us are not necessarily against us. It prefers
multilateralism to unilateralism or hegemony. Yet the currency
of leadership is power and in the exercise of power the true
leader will not shun difficult or unpopular decisions. This is a
paradox. Ubuntu overcomes the apparent contradiction by
advancing a concept of power relations that resonates with the
sense that all people are creatures of blood and kinship who
share the human condition, and who need to accommodate one
another.
Those of us who mean to lead in the 21st Century face daunting
challenges. Africa, and the world, need to develop leaders who
will be known less for what they say and more for what they
deliver, less by their title and position and more by their
expertise and competence; less by what they control and more by
the mindsets they develop and shape; both by their personal
integrity and for exceptional organisational abilities.
And this kind of leadership is not a myth or an impossible
ideal. It exists in Africa. We have experienced it. It is
epitomised by our own icon, the living embodiment of African
leadership, Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela, who is an example of what
Warren Bennis, the noted leadership expert, refers to as
"servant leadership", where the true leader is the servant of
all. Such a quality of leadership is not unique, nor is it the
result of pre-ordination. It is the result of choice, discipline
and application. Mandela does not have these leadership
qualities because he is great, Mandela is great because he has
these leadership qualities.
So does African leadership have value to add to the world?
Beyond any doubt. We however, need to guard these
transformational leadership principles and cherish them.
Demagogues, self-serving opportunists, the power-hungry and
blindly ambitious have proven time and time again that given the
chance, they will trash any vision to meet their selfish goals,
dragging all around them into mediocrity or worse. We must be
vigilant and have the courage of our convictions to protect our
unique traits and characteristics. We have already demonstrated
to the world that we possess reserves of humanity, compassion
and respect which have transformed a country and laid the
foundations of a great nation. If we can inculcate these
visionary and transformational principles and values in our
people, we will create a legacy for the future leaders of the
world.
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