Leadership and the Pursuit of Purpose

By Eddy Kubwimana · December 1, 2022 · Leadership Essay

Leadership illustration

What is leadership? Leadership has become a jargon term in the mouths of people. However, only some can talk more about what it entails if asked. It always surprises me how people are interested in learning how to speak languages, do complex mathematics, and write sophisticated software but put little effort into mastering the ability that is the string that pulls all those things together to impact humanity positively. In this paper, I explore my viewpoints on who is an excellent leader, what I have come to understand about leadership and leaders, what I am doing to be one, and the specific place to start in the next three months.

I. Leadership Pursuit of Excellence

Who is a good leader? It might look simple because most people can answer it in less than a minute. Right? However, that is where the problem stems. We, most of the time, confuse understanding something with applying something. A driver who has never sat behind the wheel, everything in her mind has no challenge, no friction. She feels confident if she remembers whatever she has been taught. However, the day she goes on the field, her back will hurt, her hands will tire, and the gas will smell awful, but none of those were expected. If someone is determined to be a good driver, the first day will not discourage her. She will lower her expectations, adjust to the moment, push forward, and expect the best for the future ride. That is the same for excellent leaders. As Goleman (1998) states, “What distinguishes great leaders from merely good ones? It isn't IQ or technical skills, says Daniel Goleman. It's emotional intelligence” (p.1). Excellent leaders are not superhuman: they are people who first understand themselves, how to harness their impulses and bring about positive impact in joy or struggles, have the drive to do what is not necessarily convenient to them but to their followers, feel part of the majority in themselves and know how to get people to cooperate. All the above complement each other. You can have some of them, but you have to be willing to acquire them through practicality which builds proof to yourself and the world that you are ready to learn and unlearn while having a positive impact.

II. Leadership Perception

Excellent leadership must be defined by the impacts and values it implants in the followers. Those are not achieved by merely dreaming but by planning and sticking to a solid plan. In those plans, we must check whether the purpose, values, and common good drive us. We need practical, resolute leadership first, followed by efficient administration and social discipline. These are a blueprint of excellent leadership. (Kwang, H. F., Fernandez, W., & Tan, S., 2015, p.364). Before leadership class, I needed to learn how to ask the right questions about leadership. I have never thought that some political leaders might have been victims of the communities we were born. Only a few people can start a business if they do not hope to do well. However, in Africa, leadership is about getting the position and trying your best. If you fail, it is normal because you are not the first, but you can still chop money from the government.

We would have to give more thought to leadership before assuming the responsibility of being followed. It is not about what you can get but what you can provide. Awori (2022) highlights that “the privileges and perks of many leadership positions in Africa can give unsuspecting leaders amnesia, where they forget that it is not about them but about what they do for others” (p.2). The money and other advantages are meant to make you comfortable so that you can focus on solving pressuring issues but not abusing them. That is why the leader's purpose, values, and environment may be focal to their success. I also found that we do not need to fight for a leadership position, but we must live as leaders every day, and it will come naturally because how can you fight to become who you are? It is impossible. That is why outstanding leadership is not about one or two skills but a holistic set of competencies that require years of learning by living what you are learning.”

III. Become a Better Leader

As a leader, accountability will make me a good one. How can I demonstrate that? Farida Bedwei stated that if you want something, the only requirement is to do what is needed to get it (Delle, 2020, p 200). I was born in Burundi. I have never known my father since birth, not because he was dead, but because my mother could not tell me. Most fatherless children decide to abuse drugs, blame their mothers, and decide to do nothing with their life. However, I chose not to blame anybody. Instead, I told her not to worry because I would find my way through the world if I were alive. As I grew up, I started to yearn to understand the world, people, and how I could make it. I learned how to ask what I wanted. I explicitly told friends what I aspired to be and how I planned to achieve it. Surprisingly, the people we met were always willing to help me. Today, I am at Ashesi because I told my friend I must study abroad in high school. He heard about an institution that was sponsoring 30 students every year around the country, and he gave the application. I did not know English back, but I did not fear applying. I did not have any connections, but I told myself that it was possible no matter how hard it was. I put everything under my responsibility and decided it would be my responsibility if I failed.

The other potential sign that shows me that I will be a great leader is how I am purpose-driven. Awori (2022) states that “purpose is an element that sets authentic transformative leaders apart from those who need to convince others of their leadership capabilities” (p.3). I was born into a poverty-stricken family. However, I have never thought that poverty would prevent me from achieving great things, but at least it would take a long time to reach them. I am very optimistic and never give weight to circumstances that show me something is unachievable. Of course, it is good to be realistic. But what we call practical is what has been achieved by someone. Someone in 1965 said that in 2020 computers would be carried in trousers’ pockets; people would have considered him unrealistic. That is what happens when I am in Burundi. I can tell my age mates that we may change our country. The majority of them say it is practically impossible. They think that the only way to change the government is to be a president or be in parliament.

If we are dedicated to changing our country, it starts with ourselves. If you are lazy and do not want to work to sustain your life, how can you do it for the whole country? If You can not be able to manage your money, how can you be a good treasurer on a national level? It is like saying that you failed the pre-calculus exam and pledging that you can succeed calculus exam if given a chance. If I do not have what it requires to have a significant result today, I have to start gathering knowledge and skills which will help me be effective in years to come. The key to a successful leader is consistently defining his values by becoming examples of his beliefs (Awori,2022, p.35). That is why I believe that in the next 30 years, I will make a significant impact in Burundi, not by being a politician but by being an example by practicing what I believe.

VI. Making Difference

The place I will make an impact in the next three months is in my business. As I have said earlier, I have big dreams and believe in taking action, no matter how small they are, to ensure that I develop the muscle necessary to be a good leader. I founded my business in 2022 to help people in rural areas access financial services. Since the founding of my company, I have learned a whole lot. First, not all people are willing to make changes in their community. Second, starting the journey together does not mean you will end it together. Third, some people may complain about what is wrong but are unwilling to change the situation. Fourth, getting people to do what you want is not about you knowing what is good for them, but it is about helping them understand what is good for them so they can act. It was pretty shocking in the early days of my business because I did not know how I could tell someone tens of times someone to do something beneficial to him, but that person would never act. I would spend days explaining the best way to get customers, but nobody would do anything. I realized that I was very impatient. My emotions were managing me. Awori(2022) specifies that a “lack of awareness of what one is feeling at any given moment means that the emotion manages you; you don't manage the emotion. The effect of this, when a person has power over other people, can be devastating” (p.74). Now, I am trying to learn how to manage my emotions. I understood that the drive and the vision I have for my business, no matter how good it might be, everybody is not willing to work with me to achieve it.

Furthermore, I have past friends, and I have new friends. I always find it hard to exclude old friends of mine from my project once they do not have values I admire. I am always tempted to ignore that. In Omelas’s story, it is said that some people "go out into the street, and walk down the street alone. They keep walking, and walk straight out of the city of Omelas, through the beautiful gates”(Ursula, p.4). I must learn to know people who align with my values and purpose to get people who can hold me accountable and help me achieve my grand vision. Staying with friends who do not challenge my status quo values would be a loss to my growth and future. But it would be beneficial if I get people who can always inspire me while giving feedback about how I am doing. That is why I will be working on getting a mentor who can help me grow into a spectacular leader in the next three months.

All in all, the leadership class was eye-opening. I got exposed to many leadership styles and theories, which left me with many impressions that are useful for my personal leadership development and growth. I understood there is no formula for leadership, but values, purpose, self-understanding, empathy, and personal motivation can predict the kind of leader one will be. It is said that a chick that will grow into coq can be spotted the very day it hatches. I take leadership as the saying goes; a good leader is spotted before she is a formal leader because we do good in what we are already good at.

References