Leaders and leadership

 By Datuk Halimah Mohd Said

 

 There's no doubt that leadership at any level is a huge responsibility. - Photo for illustration purpose.

A LEADER inherits the context of his leadership and is eventually defined by it. His leadership attributes will be tested against the ongoing concerns of the nation and the people that constitute it. Even with the most dynamic of personal qualities and the most innovative of visions, a leader’s success or failure will only be in direct correlation to the mood of the citizenry and how receptive they are to him.

The true measurement of a leader’s capabilities can therefore only be fairly made against the perspective of the nation’s history, in relation to its multifarious socio-cultural, political and economic developments and when juxtaposed against the continuously evolving needs of the people.

With the rapid acceleration of online media and communication technology, the dissemination of news and reports is more extensive and intensive exposing humanity to such a voluminous amount of information, it becomes near impossible to analyse every bit of it to arrive at a fair and objective conclusion when assessing the worth of  a leadership.

Today’s leaders have to answer to everything and answer quickly – facts and figures, arguments and argumentations, views and opinions, rumour and slander, even half-truths and lies – to ensure his credibility is sustained. His mind, heart and soul are open books for all to read, and the leader in turn must be able to penetrate the deepest recesses of the national psyche to know what is expected of him.

Woe betides the leader who enters the political scene in the midst of a national crisis because his actions and decisions will be measured against a ticking clock when every word that is uttered matters.

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What this means is that the credibility of a leader lies in his or her word. And what this means at the most pragmatic, communicative level is that the use of language becomes the most visible or audible part of leadership for the public to follow through. When a leader stands firm and executes his or her vision consistently and concertedly, there will be a certain amount of confidence in the leadership, at least before opposing voices tear it down.

Following the unfolding of the current Brexit crisis in UK recently, one gets blown away by the seemingly insurmountable problems faced by the British government. Going by the number of crossovers of members of parliament in their stands and opinions one can understand why the politically enlightened British public is equally divided. To stay or leave, that is the question.

At home, one wishes our leaders are more adept in their language use and articulation. Bearing in mind Malaysians are now better educated and exposed reading at least online news and social media if not traditional printed newspapers, political and community leaders have to really upscale their communication skills. Television coverage is crucial in providing the face to face assessment of the sincerity and self-confidence of leaders in articulating their plans and proposals. There are ways around language use to make one’s communication credible, even if,  like the flying car,  the technology and air mobility laws are not in place.

A leadership attribute which is not highlighted enough is teachability. Effective leaders are teachable meaning their eyes and ears are always open to learn more, and they embrace change and innovation as  catalysts for growth and improvement. By connecting with the people he leads, a leader establishes a relationship with them and is thus able to sympathise and empathise in a more genuine way. This is sometimes referred to as the equaliser or leveller in leadership. By being sincere, open and vulnerable the leader inspires trust and hope. He learns not only from specialists and experts but from ordinary people if he cares to listen.

A crucial aspect of this networking is the inner circle of highly talented people that a leader nurtures and empowers, whom he can depend on to translate his vision and extend his influence. These must be people who are mirrors of himself in character and drive, people who have the competence and energy to perform with excellence, and who have the responsibility and loyalty to ensure his job is well done.

There’s no doubt that leadership at any level is a huge responsibility. The leadership of a nation is a calling and deserves nothing short of a spiritual commitment. Challenges and problems are as multifarious as the people that make up the nation.

The gates of transparency opened by worldwide movements and communication exchanges are ajar and there is no way of stopping the information flow to a citizenry who are much better educated and politically engaged. Local and global developments on all fronts which are accessible immediately on the new media have made them better informed. Universal benchmarks in justice and human rights and whatever else that is considered relevant to the proper growth of societies and civilisations, are impacting Malaysians as they have never done before. Changes and challenges are volatile and sometimes explosive.

Ultimately, history is the greatest leveler of politics as far as the assessment of a nation’s leaders is concerned. For this there can be no immediate indices or benchmarks to quantify the efficiency and effectiveness of the leadership, or even subjective, qualitative judgements by the most learned citizens of the land – or foreign journalists for that matter.

It therefore becomes all the more important that the leadership of the Malaysian nation is guided by a set of levelling principles that will see it through the multifarious challenges in its development.

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* Datuk Halimah Mohd Said is the President of Association of Voices of Peace, Conscience and Reason (PCORE).