Written and edited by
Adeola Oyenuga LL.B (Hons)
Impactful leadership often has a two-pronged focus. It moves a team towards a goal while also caring for individual growth, according to Molly Page in an article titled "Impactful Leadership: Be a Mirror Not a Megaphone." Impact in the sphere of leadership can be both negative or positive. We remember impactful leaders either with feelings of bitterness and resentment or pure joy at their memories. Whereas for leaders who impact positively it is their attitude of service that genuinely connects them with people and how they earn the people’s loyalty.
Now I am confident that it is within the realms of age-old aphorisms that certain character traits and accomplishments such as vision, moral, physical or mental rectitude and outstanding achievements respectively and inter alia are vital to reverence and/or deification of impactful leaders. These qualities will often position such leaders in the ranks of deities or have at some point led the followers of such leaders to attempt their deification; a common practice prevalent at some point and maybe till now in certain parts of Africa and I dare say even around the world.
Such leaders are of the likes of Haille Selassie I, a descendant of the Solomonic Dynasty of Ethiopia, Jidu Krishnamurti of India who was deified by the Theosophical Society though he later withdrew from it, or even the likes of Mary Baker Eddy who was first deified with the private publication of "The Destiny of the Mother Church," published by Bliss Knapp, even Jesus Christ from the historical records of the Christian Holy Bible, amongst a countless list of more. These were impactful leaders whose influence could not be waved aside easily, albeit their deification in all but one of the cases were misguided.
Life surely sometimes passes not unlike motion pictures. So fleetingly the events of today become not just history but personal reminiscences of what we once had or experienced - while we transition, only to be left with no more than memories. The sweet tasting joy in all of this from a leadership perspective is that if we as a people have become so fortunate as to have had those very few but once in a lifetime encounters with those leaders who are one of a kind, then the memories will flood us even more powerfully knowing what effect they have had on us and even those around.
I type this as I remember seeing a caption of a picture of both Barack Obama and Michelle Obama together during the inauguration of the 46th President of the USA, Joe Biden. The caption simply read that Obama was always feeling like a boss no matter who was Potus. But the nostalgia I felt seeing that couple brought back the memories I had of them in power as respected and outstanding leaders - it was a major and emotional throwback. Why? They had (and still do have) impact! He was a great President.
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Great leaders also inspire action and inaction through the example they set in their own life. The Buddha and Hildegard of Bingen moved people to become better versions of themselves and lead more purposeful and charitable lives. Malala Yousafzai was a girl wanting the right to go to school when three gunshots changed her life and rippled out to change the lives of many more.
Now re-focusing the lens back on Africa we see what impact the likes of Anwar Sadat of Egypt had in brokering peace with Israel at a time when there were hostilities between the latter and many of the Arab nations, and especially at the then-present risk of ostracism by the league of anti-Israel Arab leaders who saw this act by Anwar Sadat as a betrayal of the Arab interests. This daring act, was recognized around the world, earned him and the Muslim world the first Nobel peace prize to be awarded a Muslim. Nigerian and American citizen, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, the renowned overachiever, multiple award winner and international economic expert has shattered the glass ceiling by beating many men and women at their own game, standing out as an impactful leader on the global scene by simply giving 101% at what she does.
To cap it all, we see that leaders are known or unknown for the quality of style and achievement they infuse into their environment. Impactful leaders may be as rare as hen's teeth but when we encounter them or get a whiff of their doings, something or everything lights up. With good impact we want to do better and be better. This is important. Otherwise we end up being average or less.
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