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Leaders, wise up!

Writer's picture: Dr. Aloisious Z. MushayandebvuDr. Aloisious Z. Mushayandebvu

What


You are wise when you admit and accept that you do not know. Wisdom (not to be confused with intelligence) is prosocial. It relates to navigating life's complex challenges and dilemmas with and for others. It is rooted in the big picture, the future and possibilities. The existing context determines what is wise; what you can get away with and what you cannot. The context prescribes what sustainable actions you can undertake. When looking to resolve complex and dynamic issues, no one knows everything. The wise rise above self-interests and listen. They recognise the virtue of charity and deliberately seek to improve societal well-being. A wise leader acknowledges that "like the guinea fowl that laid its eggs in the grass, when the grass burns, I too shall perish".



Why


Personal ambition and the quest for silver bullets are deluding and misleading to apex leaders. Selfishness is the opposite of wisdom. Self-centred organising does not recognise that everything connects to everything, more so, that everybody connects to all. Self-centred organising produces personal wins and concurrently generates losses for others. Such arranging is callous and leads to unsustainable practices and solutions. These include unwavering structures and firm rules and tradeoffs derived from presumed certainties. The resulting decisions and solutions are mere compromises or middle grounds. They are never the win-win solutions needed when dealing with complex socio-economic concerns. The rules and structures seek to deliver stability and predictability. Absolute steadfastness in organising is unproductive as it generates obsolescence. It becomes worse when accompanied by the invocation of non-explanations when real answers exist. That is often the case in dysfunctional bureaucracies.


How


Let go, leadership is not all about control. Wise leaders build a broad consensus. They effectively involve stakeholders, increase connections and interactions and generate coalitions. They clarify for all concerned what the future holds. They make parties understand the eventual consequences of their actions and their inactions. Wise leaders' demands and responses derive from the big picture and the future. They invite alternative and responsive means to meet changing ends. They seek to blend and align varied interests, perspectives and social and economic resources. They promote tolerance and cooperation. They deal with those who ask for help and support those that help. They appreciate that conflicts and tragedies supply lessons and triggers for change and growth. They manage bureaucracies and structural layers to ensure organisational adaptiveness. In short, wise leaders create socioeconomically productive relationships.

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