FROM MERE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP TO TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN GHANA
Transformational leaders are like the roots of a tree. They may not be visible, but they keep the tree alive - Gift Gugu Mona.
May the Lord raise leaders for our nations who will respond correctly to His demand for honesty- Benjamin Suulola.
Partisan politics, just like in most democratic societies, is real, alive and strong in Ghana . It has nearly permeated every fiber of the Ghanaian society. Partisan politics in Ghana has in most occasions become the mirror for discussing and reflecting on even sensitive national issues. Political parties, especially the dominant ones, appear to be more powerful than a number of Ghanaian national institutions. In the name of democracy, these political parties are pre-occupied with building political empires for their members and followers rather than building the Ghanaian society on honest foundations with strong institutions. Winning elections and capturing or controlling state resources appear to be the main agenda of most political parties in Ghana. A number of partisan politicians in Ghana rhetorically proclaim to seek the welfare of the ordinary Ghanaian but they end up worsening their standards of living. Even those mere politicians who sometimes meet the temporary needs of some Ghanaians do so with the selfish motive of using the aid as a bait to get their votes.
Leadership, it is said, is too important to leave it to politicians. Leaving leadership to politicians is like leaving formal education in the hands of morally bankrupt and dishonest teachers. Instead of using the educational system to raise leaders and a fruitful workforce; such dishonest teachers will at best raise mere job seekers, dishonest and immoral graduates, and unpatriotic citizens who only care about themselves and their families. Leaving leadership in the hands of politicians can also be likened to appointing political cronies into leadership positions. Such political leaders, who are usually not generational thinkers, sacrifice the critical needs of their nations for the parochial interests of their political parties. Mere political leaders in the end make democracy unattractive and unfruitful to the citizenry.
Democracy in Ghana is yet to yield the expected dividends. Democracy in Ghana appears to have been reduced to mere partisan politics and periodic elections. The essence of citizenship in Ghana has largely been reduced to mere or blind voting and alignment with a political party. To the ordinary Ghanaian, democracy is more about partisan politics, political parties and political personalities; rather than real leadership, transformation and meaningful development.
Ghana needs transformational leaders not mere political leaders. Transformational leaders have the right leadership mindset. They are visionary, selfless, real, practical, honest, incorruptible, spiritual and transgenerational thinkers. For such leaders, leadership is a divine assignment and mandate. They perceive leadership as a privilege vehicle to herald and influence transformation of lives and society for the benefit of the present and unborn generations. They are more interested in leaving an inspiring legacy, not in titles of leadership positions. For Gift Gugu Muna, ‘Transformational leadership is a calling, much more than a title. A transformational leader does not care about how he is called. He only cares about what he has been called to do.’
In the process of transformational leadership, both ‘…leaders and followers raise each other to higher levels of motivation and morality’ (Jennifer Herrity). Transformational leaders seek to build strong nations, institutions and individuals; not strong political parties. According to Herrity, transformational leadership involves modelling fairness and integrity. It also involves provoking positive emotions in others and inspiring people to achieve their goals. This kind of leadership mainly focuses on changing the mindset of the populace and building their capacity. Transformational leadership builds a culture of honesty, patriotism and transgenerational mindset. Stewart Gabel has observed that transformational leadership is grounded in modelling commitment to higher values and goals by a leader to motivate and inspire followers to achieve mutually recognized objectives.
Ghana needs transformational leadership to build a culture of discipline, honesty and patriotism. The country also needs transformational leadership to truly promote zero-tolerance of corruption, accountability, fairness, equity, honour, respect, loyalty, transformed lives and generational thinkers. The time for the clarion call for transformational leadership in Ghana is louder now than before. It is high time Ghanaians looked beyond political party colours when exercising their franchise. It is better not to vote than to vote for a mere political aspirant or leader who will end up messing your personal economy and that of the national economy. Let the Ghanaian voter wise-up and seek after transformational leadership.
Richard Obeng Mensah, author of If You Think of Your Opposition You Lose Your Position. The writer is an award-winning prolific author of 8 books and over 250 articles on legal and non-legal themes. He is also a pastor, lawyer, law lecturer, a blogger, and a certified life and leadership coach and.
Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com
Mobile: +233 (0)246 556 774.
Publication History
Authored on 22/02/2024 and published on 23/02/2024 on the author’s blog and other social media platforms.
Acknowledgement
The author appreciates the critiques and valuable comments of his Editorial Team to this write-up.
