One of the things that have always amazed me is just how a single individual can be so influential, for better or worse, among a group of people. Some people are more gifted than others to draw a pack of people towards their ideologies, whether these are harmful or not. Leaders have a very important role to play in the achievement of the goals and objectives of a certain institution. Resources are important. Being able to use resources effectively and efficiently is as important. The qualities of the people that constitute a particular team are not enough to reach the team’s objectives in the absence of a team leader that fails to effectively and efficiently use its team resources.
I recently had the chance to have Wi-fi connection set up in my home. I must say I was surprised by the speed at which the telecom staff set-up wi-fi connections in my neighborhood. Given that the neighborhood is a new residence area, and therefore given that it does not have fixed phone lines, not in a million years did I expect wi-fi lines to be set up this fast. All in all, it took ethio telecom less than a month to set-up fiber optic lines in the whole neighborhood and less than another month to set up wi-fi connections in homes. I thought to myself that the new telecom leadership is really a good one. It took all these years to complete an apparently not so demanding task for the company. I said to myself that leadership is key for an organization to function at its best. I would, therefore, like to take the opportunity to thank the current CEO of ethio telecom for her astonishing works!
Leaders are key for organizational success. But true success is in its sustainability. What good would it do if an organization starts to crumble when its leader is replaced by another person? A true leader for me is the one that is able to build an organizational capability that can sustain generations. If an organization starts to fail after its leader has been replaced, then it must mean that the organization’s leadership was a one-man show. And one-man shows rarely yield sustainable organizational success.
In Ethiopia, and maybe also elsewhere, we tend to believe that if Mr X or Mr Y does not lead the organization or the country for that matter, the organization or country will fail. Sadly, many leaders as well believe themselves to be indispensable. The ‘If I do not lead, then it will fail’ kind of mentality is sadly common. What these kinds of leaders sadly missed is the fact that if the organization fails if they do not lead, then it is because they have failed to build an organization that can stand on its own. Truly speaking, this is not something to be proud of.
Recently, rumor has been running that our Prime minister may not be in a fit and healthy condition because of the simple fact that he did not show up on the media for few days. The rumor is certainly aimed at creating trouble and unrest in the country, because unfortunately, we live in a country where the fate of the nation lies on the wellbeing of a single individual. That is sad, for sure. On one hand, history is witness that our leaders have always considered themselves indispensable for the survival of the nation. On the other hand, history is also witness that our people rarely challenge their dictatorial leaders, or challenge them only when the damage they have done is too much to bear. A typical one-man show type of leadership! My hope is for this to change one day!
