No one is born wise; we pick up wisdom from others. — African proverb

 

Humans seem to revel in making the same mistakes that others have made instead of learning from the past. I think it is better to make new mistakes rather than repeat old ones. A classic example is the Napoleon Bonaparte-Adolf Hitler-Russian Winter Story. Avoidable mistakes can cost millions of lives.

All African leaders must read this chapter carefully and be aware of some very pertinent lessons from history.

Dear president/prime minister, I am here to help, so, read on…

 

PART I

21 NUGGETS OF WISDOM

 

1. Power bewitches all leaders of logical thought. Power also warps the faculties, sometimes completely. Power makes all human beings think stupid and not smart. The difference between failed leaders and successful ones is the ability to realise when one has been captivated by power, like a rabbit in headlights. Be aware that wooden-headedness — that is being slow in accepting an unfavourable set of circumstances and understanding its genesis — is the bedfellow of power. Just because one is a leader does not mean one is immune to stupidity, or that one’s actions are always right. Leave the always being right to divine beings. Most people reading this, including all human leaders, are not deities, though many think they are. There are terms for this misconception: Halo syndrome and illusory superiority.
2. A wise person in power accepts and cultivates an outside agent, who does not fear him or her. Such a person is indispensable to avoid “The Emperor’s New Clothes Phenomenon.” If you are a leader, do not, repeat, do not ignore the need for a confidant who can tell you the naked truth. Ordinary subordinates can never tell their leader that he has no insight, that he/she is guilty of self-aggrandisement and has delusions of grandeur, or that he/she has illusions of invincibility and that if he/she carries on like that he/she might come to a very bad and sad end! In order to keep their jobs, subordinates of presidents and prime ministers create what is called a Goldilocks Zone around the leader. This is a zone in which nothing is in the extreme: not too cold, not too hot; not too long not too short; not too free, not too stifling, etc. In addition, there is a hagiographic inner circle around most State Houses in Africa. Then there may be things subordinates think the leader does not want to hear, and so they do not tell him/her. In the end, the leader may not even want to hear the facts. This is a sure path to political perdition.

Repeat: If as a leader you do not have someone — not excluding a perspicacious wife — who can tell you that you are wearing the proverbial Emperor’s New Clothes, then be sure that in your leadership you will be in for the high jump somewhere down the line. 2,500 years ago, Confucius said: “A person who flatters you is your enemy. A person who tells you the truth is your friend.” Dear leader, being surrounded by nodding dogs looks impressive and probably boosts one’s self-confidence. It’s not, however, a good strategy to adopt as a leader.

3. Insight is the wisdom of accepting a defect in one’s character. That is the first step in correcting that defect. An alcoholic who does not accept that he/she has a drinking problem will not seek treatment. Lack of insight is a failing that is common to all human beings but acquires a different dimension in a leader. Like a boil, failings have to be lanced while they are still localized. Otherwise, like a boil, they can cause poisoning of the whole system if decisive action is not taken. Mr. president/prime minister, cultivate insight by objectively reading or listening to what your opponents are saying. Distinguish between the message and the messenger. Listen to understand and not to respond. Read that again, dear leader.

Remember the adage: There is no such thing as bad criticism. Criticism that is off the mark reinforces your resolve and validates your work. Criticism that hits the bull’s eye should make you rethink your course of action and if necessary, do a mid-point correction. I totally get it that as a politician, jaw-jaw is part of your day job. But be aware that at the same time, your tongue can clog up both your ears and make you deaf.

4. Too much power is akin to a carpenter with a hammer as his only tool: every problem starts to look like a nail. Soft power sometimes produces more results than hard power. Soft power includes compromise and consensus. Soft power does not include corrupting or buying-off opponents. Loyalty acquired by buying-off opponents is ephemeral. On hard power, the Greek historian Thucydides said: “Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most.” Successful leaders work this out very early on in their terms or they come to a bad end. Causing pain to opponents has a way of ricocheting. A ricocheting projectile can easily hit the initiator. As an elected leader, remember that your stay in power has an expiry date. Due to psychological distancing, most leaders seem to forget about this eventuality. Being president means you have to resist the first impulse that comes naturally and instead you think first. As the classic saying goes, think before you leap. This basic tenet of wisdom suffers when power short circuits some leaders’ thinking.

Do not ever forget that unless your presidency is hereditary, elective office always has a shelf-life. Therefore, watch what you do or say, or what you do not do or do not say. Do not inadvertently plant thorns in every square inch of the communal garden, otherwise, you shall not enjoy any walks there once you retire.

5. Folly or acting stupidly in the face of evidence that that action is stupid, is part of human nature. Mr. President/Prime Minister, do not ever stop questioning whether you have finally joined the group of those who have embraced folly, by the actions that you are taking as a leader. Mr. President/Prime Minister, be aware that when a poor ruler makes a mistake, the usual response is persistence in continuing with the error. In general, men and women with power are averse to putting up their hands and saying: mea culpa! Are you in that group?
6. No Retreat No Surrender is a good motto in a B grade Kung Fu movie. It is not an appropriate mantra for running a country.
7. Common sense and wisdom are obverse sides of the same coin. Often times, one or both are missing. King Solomon was wise because he used a lot of common sense. Do not look down on common sense.
8. The Trojan Horse that leads to the destruction of the unwary, is not always in the form of a massive structure, or a ‘donation’ into a president’s personal account. It may be in the form of a clueless nephew made minister of finance or indeed just an ordinary nymphet winging her way into a leader’s heart.
9. It is not necessary to expound a dubious philosophy or erect a massive statue of self. Statues get knocked down unceremoniously and imposed philosophies have a tendency of imploding.
10. Be aware of a phenomenon called Cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance makes leaders deaf in both ears. Leaders at times do things they and their staff realise and know are wrong. In other words, the lofty ideals and beliefs they had before attaining power start clashing with their actions or behaviours. At times it may be two cognitions or thoughts that are contradictory. Holding contradictions causes stress to the human psyche. One way to resolve this is to rationalise. This may result in the leader trying to consciously or subconsciously justify his actions. For example, even if the leader knows that it is not right to imprison political opponents, but nevertheless imprisons them, he will justify this by saying the political opponents were disturbing the peace. This justifying of actions may result in the leader entrenching bad actions and not paying heed to advice. In people with power, Cognitive dissonance is not harmless.