Mindset transformation needed to redeem our leadership

By Patrick Katagata

The recent developments revolving around the conduct of some of our leaders, especially in the Legislature going by the recent Court ruling in Mbale have adequately reinforced in the minds of many that the campaign manifestos elective leadership hopefuls display don't amount to much.

Over the years, I haven't only been passionate about transformation leadership but I have also taken keen interest in examining the motives, competencies, mindsets as well as the knowledge of those who seek to lead others about the subject of leadership.

Quite sadly, for a good count of our leaders, especially politicians, we can only say that they were ill-prepared for the assignment! Simple as it may seem, leadership and the quest thereof aren't what they seem, especially if we factor in such aspects as it being transformational, the requisite skilled competencies, pure motives and credible character.

Many people are stuck with the conventional meaning of leadership, which is synonymous with such phrases as: management; headship and control etc, but the real essence of leadership ought to focus on influence, guidance, direction and service.

I'll dwell much on the definition John Oswald Sanders, an author and worldwide conference speaker, gave: "Leadership is influence." And summed up by John C. Maxwell, thus: "Leadership is influence, nothing more nothing less." Both the influence and direction had better be good! What exactly drives those who seek leadership?

Leadership is also service and it often requires great sacrifices -paying the price, for which very few of those who call themselves ‘Leaders' are less willing, prepared and much less know the its significance. The mindset of many ‘leaders' isn't one of serving or transforming their constituencies. Rather it's for eating, -extremely predatory and egocentric.

That's why quite often we distribution of national resources by way of budgeting is also called "National Cake" and people who are elevated to positions of leadership are often said to "have fallen into things" -meaning they've chosen not serve but eat?

For instance, if all appointed in positions of leadership in public offices regardless or region, tribe or religion etc, were to purely serve national interests and not their own and their immediate folks -as it's widely witnessed, would we have some people from certain parts of the country complain that their sons and daughters have been left out?

I remember with excruciating pain an ugly reference I read in Jane Overstreet's book, Unleader, which went: "I have often thought of the example I heard once while in Uganda. There a friend was teaching about leadership and asked the audience what the word was for leadership in the local language -literal translation. …Quickly came the response: ‘It means to ‘eat''. Puzzled I listened more closely as the discussion continued. ‘Why does it mean ‘to eat'?' my friend asked. ‘Oh … because when you are a leader you can eat anything, you want, and no one can stop you." Do you see the mindset of our people and why they seek to lead? How far can a leader

with a mindset so myopic, predatory, selfish etc of ‘eating anything without anybody stopping them' take their constituency? Do the naïve and silly trade-offs by some surprise you?

Previously in his State of The Nation Address as he has often in other fora, President Yoweri Museveni came out strongly on the link between African mindset and transformation, and I think it is about time we took deliberate steps as a country.

We need to go back to the families and schools, revamp our value systems, review education curriculum and purge our mindsets towards national transformational leadership!

Writer is from Buhweju district