Where leadership flops in African organisations

Recently I had the opportunity to listen to a conversation between two people.

One of them started by saying: “Is this my responsibility?” “Has this been escalated?” or “Did I follow the procedure? And who approved of this?” By contrast, the other person quickly asked: “What outcome is the institution trying to achieve with this action?” “And what is happening to the customer?” “By the way, what responsibility do I carry here?” “And out of all these, what action protects the mission and integrity of the organisation?”

As I walked out of the conversation, my thoughts were running wild. But one thing kept on ringing in my mind, “Does the mission and vision of an organisation or an institute defines the types of leaders that heads that organisation.”

The discussion I listened to just confirmed one thing. Currently in Africa, most modern organisations are increasingly characterised by sophistication without coherence. They possess strategy documents, dashboards, reporting systems, governance structures, data analytics, performance indicators, and highly educated professionals. And to affirm that, meetings occur continuously.

And while reports are circulated zealously, the dashboards remain populated. Yet despite the intense activities, reports indicate that many organisations continue to experience execution fatigue. Strategic initiatives are slowed, frustration increases. And most of the time, individuals begin protecting functional boundaries rather than advancing shared mission.

And the key question is always asked is: “What have we lost it when it comes to ‘Leadership Role.”

This paradox raises an important question. We cannot all be leaders. The instinctive response is often attributed to failure to poor leadership. This has also made leadership become the dominant language of organisational discourse. Institutions have continued to invest heavily in leadership development.

Many bookshelves overflow with leadership literature. Conferences continue to celebrate visionary leaders. who have been celebrated. On the other hand, all employees are encouraged to become leaders. Yet this intense focus on leadership frequently obscures a more fundamental organisational reality.