Written by: Michael Badriaki on November 8, 2013

While growing up in East Africa, my friends and I were repeatedly told that “we were the leaders of tomorrow”. I also thought that the notion of leadership was something that happened to a person by way of some sort of coronation. When does a person become a leader and what was the necessary criterion? To put it bluntly, I struggled with the subject because there was a desire in me that wanted to lead because of the dire socioeconomic and political conditions of our country but I no framework for grasping leadership. I know that very little in life comes to fruition without a vision or plan and my plan was to get a formal education and learn about my context and the world around me. My family in East Africa was the best place of learning, were love never run dry and out.

When I was found by Christ and started understanding more about the scriptures, the eagerness towards service and leadership grew stronger and this is one of the main reasons the doctorate of ministry in Leadership and global studies made a lot of sense. Even as the holiday of thanksgiving nears, I find myself grateful for the opportunity to reflect, pray, read and discuss about the crux of the subject of leadership. I am fully aware that my generation is no longer the leaders of tomorrow’s Africa especially since “Nearly one in three Africans are between the ages of 10 and 24, and approximately 60 percent of Africa’s total population is below the age of 35” [1]

Leadership is now and the training of potential leaders from across the spectrum of society should be taken seriously if the church in Africa is going to relevantly speak to leaders about how to love, “break free of the corruption and selfishness that exists, from the head of states to the subsistence farmer”[2] There is wisdom in the cautionary assertion of Nohria and Khurana in their book “Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice” when they write, “If we proclaim that our purpose is to develop leaders who can benefit society, we must dedicate our best minds to understanding what leadership means and how we can best develop leaders……”[3]

Villages and communities will be best served when leaders at the top and grassroots levels “embrace cultures of honesty, hard work, fairness, and justice, as well as the riches-cultural, spiritual,”[4] and resources, that already exist on the continent.

The present and future are hopeful because of the opportunities for followers of Christ to intentionally participate in genuinely holistic servant leadership.

There are many definitions of what leadership is in Nohria and Khurana’ text, but the following rendition resonated for me within an East Africa context.

Leadership is accepting responsibility to create conditions that enable others to achieve shared purpose in the face of uncertainty. Leaders accept responsibility not only for their individual “part” of the work, but also for the collective “whole”. Leaders can create conditions interpersonally, structurally, and/or procedurally. The need for leadership (a need often not met) is evident when encounters with the uncertain demand adaptive, heuristic, or innovative response: post practice are breached, new threats loom, a sudden opportunity appears, social conditions change, new technology changes the rules, and so on.[5]

About the Author

Michael Badriaki