Lead, Leader & Leadership

The three beautiful words – Lead, Leader and Leadership – are the main concepts which we live in our day to day lives. But the perception in seeing its approach might be different but this does not mean that the definition of Leadership would change as it is an art in itself. My recent visit to organisation like Delta Airlines, ILA and many others and sharing about leadership is of paramount distance of what we have in Mauritius. So where are we heading too? Are we on the right track? 

My glimpse through the Mauritian press was shocking to see that certain so called professionals still today do not know the difference between being a part time chairman and being a chief executive. Is it what we call corporate governance? 

I was given to understand that even if you are potato seller, but well acquainted and being a henpeck of politicians, one can sit on any board and even take decision at the highest levels. Is it how we are running the country or an organisation? What are the prerequisites to be a board member? Are we lacking professionals in Mauritius? So where are these youths who been burning the midnight oil and striving in life and still being a top in their fields of competences? They are being buried by politicians. 

Recently at the world conference of leadership, we could see that a change of precepts and concepts are yet to be put in place for a better future. Does our so-called leaders know about that? At times certain heads of organisation, self-proclaiming to be the boss of the organisation, glare at themselves in the mirror and find their smiles and they feel happy about it. In fact, they are not realising that it’s the mirror which is laughing at them. So-called leaders need to self-diagnose their true nature. Leading is no more about “command and conquer”. It is about understanding and feeling the needs of the populations, the staffs, working on common objectives in order to attain the rightfulness common interest. This is where the human capital takes place.

“Leaders will need to influence action and support the ability of people to innovate and develop solutions."

Diversity exists today in just about every part of the world and every industrial sector. As the world becomes “flat” and organisations continue to globalise, a diversified workforce is commonplace. Best practices for inclusive leadership development show that it is an ongoing effort incorporating learning, action and feedback as each organisation discovers new ways to support the development of board, staff and program participants to become “Inclusive Leaders” actively participating in an “Inclusive Organisation”.

Inclusive leadership is the practice of leadership that carefully includes the contributions of all stakeholders in the community or organisation. Inclusion means being at the table at all levels of the organisation, being a valued contributor and being fully responsible for your contribution to the ultimate result. Inclusive leadership creates an organisational culture that consistently produces results that benefit all stakeholders.

The global context within which our leaders operate is increasingly complex. As an emerging construct, global leadership has evolved tremendously as we all need to keep with the flow in order to match up with the New World Order if we are to survive. To understand the practical aspects of global leadership, a consideration of the characteristics of complex adaptive systems can shed light. 

Leaders will need to understand what complex systems theory has to teach them. Leaders are profoundly interdependent. Within the now globalised system, societies, cultures and economies have become integrated. Global leadership will continue to expand and become more holistic and non-linear in nature. Leaders will need to be able to function in a more dynamic, unpredictable and in the moment manner in tune with the context and environment. Leaders will need to influence action and support the ability of people to innovate and develop solutions.

“Inclusive leadership creates an organisational culture that consistently produces results that benefit all stakeholders."

The functions of leadership will increasingly become a process of discovering and promoting experimentation, innovation and invention. The leader would need to be prepared to maintain stability under unpredictable and chaotic situations instead of running away and blaming others and stating “I don’t know anything about it”. Leaders would need to create supportive learning environments and foster sense-making built on connection, coherence, mutually created meaning dynamic relationships and integrated systems perspective.

For emerging professionals and youngsters the time is now. The fight for your say should begin already. You should not be influenced by others of where to need to cross your votes. If you want to survive in this complex fragmented world or economy, make your voice heard. You have the right to express your vision, your views and you are all tax payers of the country and the country runs through you. You need to be valued. We don’t need the right to freedom of expression in order to voice out, it has been God-gifted to you to express since birth as “God created us to his own image”.

It is time that you take your pilgrimage staff and start working towards a better lead for a better leader of tomorrow and with a greater Leadership vision.

By Dr Jayshan Keejoo – Global Change Agent Lead and International Arbitrator