Leadership is successful only if the led feel valued
Friday August 06 2021
Often, tears flow after a gold medal win at a world sporting stage like the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, as athletes carry a nation’s fervour and medal hopes on their shoulders. PHOTO | AFP
When our appetite for foreign clothes is so great we would rather wear secondhand garb from Europe than new home-tailored attire; when our sense of pride comes from how foreign we look and sound and despise that which looks and sounds local, then any dream of development is likely to remain just that.
Growing up in Nigeria, we saw the glory days of the 1970s and 80s and also witnessed the decline of the 90s. I grew up where the president’s official car was assembled in Nigeria — the Peugeot 504; People were jailed for importing fabrics and local industry thrived.
People like my father who schooled in the UK shunned the easy passage to British citizenship because of their sense of loyalty to Nigeria and desired to contribute to the building it. Nigerians were proud to be Nigerians.
The naira currency was stronger than the dollar and was readily accepted in different outlets in the UK!
One concept that is seldom talked about is the correlation between national pride and national development. When a people feel a sense of pride towards a nation or organisation, they will own it and see to it that things go forward. However, which comes first? National pride or pride in developing the nation?
Comrades at arms
We watch with envy as Americans at events like the Olympics shed tears when their anthem is played for the world after they win a gold medal. Even in military exercises, no American is left behind enemy lines.
Indeed, US Marine Corp credo is Semper fidelis — a Latin phrase meaning “always faithful” or “always loyal”. It is the motto of the US military that none of their own will be left behind in battle and comrades at arms will do everything possible to get their own back if and when captured.
This care for their own seems to be at the root of their patriotism — the fact that you have a country that you know has your back.
In the book, The Puritan Origins of American Patriotism George McKenna argues that what makes new commonwealths particularly vulnerable to destruction is that their people have not yet formed the common habits.
Let’s extend this to the family level. Even if one was raised in abject poverty with nothing to be proud of, the easiest way to make an enemy and start a fight is to attack that person’s background.
No matter how dysfunctional one’s family might seem, as long as that person feels loved and valued, they will fight to defend family.
Indeed, in a study of the best companies to work for in the US, the common thread is that they are places where the employees feel valued.
Our development as a people is directly tied to our patriotism but our patriotism is a direct consequence of our perception of value that the nation or entity places on us as a people.
Natural progression
When there is a sense of value, pride will be the natural consequence.
So, while we preach loyalty at the workplace and patriotism at a national level, let us remember the family unit. Patriotism and loyalty flow from a sense of value. The good news is that no one needs a budget of sorts to make another person feel valued.
As we begin to value and celebrate our own, the consequence will be a sense of deep loyalty and patriotism and the natural progression will be consistent development and growth. The most important function therefore of leadership is to make the led feel valued.
Wale Akinyemi is the convenor of the Street University (www.thestreetuniversity.com) and chief transformation officer, PowerTalks; [email protected]