Influencing people positively

Sir,

Everyone has the potential of leadership. The activity of leading should always result in inspiring others to be the best that they can be and not be a hindrance to the development of others. A leader is a person who leads, guides and inspires others to greatness.

Every country has various resources to help it become a better nation. When resources are not managed well by both those in various levels of leadership, development is inevitably hindered. We need manager leaders to take the nation to another level socially, economically and politically. And due to the fact that society has become more complex over time, the job of manager leaders has become more essential. To actually be good managers in today’s world, we also must be good leaders.

People are not interchangeable cogs; they are individuals who must be trained and developed in order to achieve the full power of the country. In order for Eswatini to rise to that desired First World status, those in key positions in society should use those positions effectively and not hinder progress. They must not only focus on systems and structures, but must also focus on developing people.

They must create and embrace the culture of action. Without execution, strategy is useless. In order to manage our resources, be it natural or human, for change in the nation, they need to embrace ethics; moral values and moral education. Ethics demand that they refuse to use their positions for personal gain and agendas, but for national development. Ethics demand that they do not use their positions to oppress others or hinder their development in life.

They must not look at those around them as competitors, or obstacles, but part of their success and advancement. Leadership is about influencing people positively and accurately. Leaders must learn the art of correctly influencing people towards desired results. People are key in solving national problems. Leaders must be sources of inspiration and motivation and not perpetual sources of pain and misery to people under them. A leader’s ultimate goal should be to have a positive impact on the lives of people. As a nation we must embrace the leadership mentality and attitude. Together we can make a difference.

Charles