At the foot of my newsletter #17 in October, I published some statistics regarding the behaviour of members of the South African parliament - a body comprising individuals from a mix of political parties. I guess most folk probably had a good chuckle at the irony of our lawmakers breaking so many of "their own" laws. I certainly did. But it wasn't a happy chuckle. Here's why (If you missed the article or can't remember it, contact me via email and I'll resend it to you).
The future of any unit, be it a family, company or country is determined by the strength of its leadership. Our leaders pave the path ahead and set the direction by their actions. Our children take their lead from their parents and teachers, our workplace subordinates from their leaders. They instinctively believe that what the leader does must be correct, because he/she is the leader. So the leader's actions become the point of reference or the benchmark - the acceptable value.
A few years ago a junior member of our international cricket squad was sidelined during the match fixing scandal and has never been seen on the international stage again. He thought, "If the captain's doing it, it must be all right". And that's the point. If the captain's doing it, it should be all right, but clearly not when it comes to taking the lead from the members of the 2nd most powerful institution in our country (unofficially, Parliament ranks 2nd to the Presidency).
In general terms, anyone with a moderate understanding of the political and economic landscape will acknowledge that this country is much better off as a whole in practically every aspect than it was under the apartheid regime. However this does not give any of our politicians the right to behave badly in a personal capacity and cannot be condoned nor excused - regardless of how desperate we are to focus on the positive. If you stand for political office, you offer yourself as an example to your country folk, and should be accountable as a leader. Public office has no place for shoplifters, fraudsters, convicted drunk-drivers or the like - especially ones that continue to ply their indiscretions while in office and run around unrehabilitated, committing one folly after the next while drawing the monthly parliamentary salary.
When the leaders in a society set a consistent example of good behaviour based on sound moral principles, the behaviour of the nation will begin to reflect those statistics. When they do not, crime, corruption and generally shoddy behaviour becomes and remains commonplace, because if the guys at the top can get away with it, hey, it must be OK. This is why we need a 16-day action campaign protesting violence against women, instead of just one.
The most extraordinary example of leadership that I can remember in the last 50 years involves a humble man who spent what should have been the best 27 years of his life behind bars. On his release he tirelessly preached reconciliation between his constituents and his jailers. His message was more powerful in symbolism, and has done more for our country (and the stature of Nelson Mandela himself) than any other message in modern times. Despite being poised on a knife-edge in 1990, civil war was averted and most of us now enjoy an economic turnaround and the beginnings of a true rainbow nation. Elsewhere during the same times the Balkans have slugged it out, the USA has bombed the hell out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and Central Africa has fallen apart - to mention just a few examples. In all but Zimbabwe, Southern Africa as a region has been set alight by Madiba's torch of hope. His example parted our waters and led us away from the Blood River and through our Red Sea.
The fundamental principle of leadership is to lead by example. An effective leader plans, checks, acts on purpose, and then manages. He knows that his troops will follow, even copy his actions. He knows that if he does it, it's OK. South Africans heard Mandela say, "Let's join hands" - and we followed him.
Our sports people are finding out that in the professional era there is a price to pay for under-performance while in the public eye. By the same standard, South Africa needs leaders whose actions will stand up to scrutiny, and whose leadership responsibilities should be built into the contract. And that is why their indiscretions should be highlighted and dealt with. In a world chronically short of skilled leadership, anyone who stands for public office should understand the moral obligation they have undertaken to lead by example.
Paul du Toit (December 2003)
