What do we want of our leaders?

This is worrisome, given the state of our country — collapsing institutions, debilitating social decay and continuing political and economic uncertainty. It emphasises the need for enlightened leadership. But, do people really know what they want of their leaders? We human beings are often unpredictable and quite contrarian in behaviour: in part due to our multiple identities. We extol the virtues of honesty and compromise in Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela today, yet uncritically support deception and intransigence in political leaders and village council presidents tomorrow.

Is leadership then situational? What fundamental principles can we learn from the way successful leaders perform? Leadership is sometimes described as “a privilege to better the lives of others …” It is also defined as being about action, not position; a matter of enduring trust based on emotional connection and understanding between leader and follower. True leadership so earned has lasting influence.

Extensive research provides insights about the attributes of successful leaders. Above all, they must be trustworthy: possessing the character to hold true to commonly accepted, identifiable values and principles; and the competence to guide, knowing what talent to recruit for a given task.

Further, they must be committed to build deep, caring connections with people: appreciating that leadership is ineffectual unless underpinned by strong relationships.

Leaders must also trust their intuition, understanding what people feel. People buy into leaders who are interested in and willing to draw upon their experience.

Exemplary leadership is about lifting people up, to perform beyond their perceived limitations: focusing on their potential, not their weakness. Ultimately, successful leaders are followed not for their power, but their ability to motivate and inspire.

Importantly, these attributes must all cohere in the service of people. For leadership is really never about the leaders themselves, but rather about the people they serve. This holds true for organisations as well as countries.

Both should demand nothing less of their leaders than the exceptional.

A leader missing any of these attributes is a leader-in-training.

Inevitably, this begs the question: what can we honestly say about leadership of our institutions and country today? Academia, business and professional bodies, churches, cooperatives, non-government organisations, Pan Trinbago, Parent-Teacher Associations, Public Service, sports clubs, trade unions, West Indies Cricket Board. Do we find exceptional leaders here? We vent a lot about the parlous state of political leadership in the country.

And rightly so. But we are reminded that many aspirants to political office serve apprenticeship in these community-based, non-governmental and special interest organisations, operating under the radar. These agencies are often stepping stones to the national political stage.

To address the overall issue of leadership in the country, therefore, we need to call out the leaders of such groups, and assess their integrity. Limiting our scrutiny to political parties demonstrates understandable but pitiable neglect of our civic duty.

WINSTON R RUDDER Petit Valley