On Now
Weekdays 15:00 - 18:00
The Joyride Nico, Nikki, Kayla and JayBee
NEXT: 18:00 - 19:00 OFM Business Hour with Olebogeng
Listen Live Streams

Business

#OFMBusinessHour: Read of Week – what makes good leadership?

───   15:32 Tue, 14 Dec 2021

#OFMBusinessHour: Read of Week – what makes good leadership?  | News Article
Photo supplied

What is good leadership? What does good leadership look like?

These are two of the questions that retired educator turned author, Noah Kaindama, set out to answer when he penned The Real President and its sequel The Real President II  - his first project as an author. The OFM Business Hour sat down with Kaindama on the two books which were the show's read of the week selections.

Kaindama says he was inspired by conversations he had with his children which were centred on negative news about the African continent in the developed world. The Zambian born author says he told his children that the continent has a leadership problem and that many of the continent’s leaders have failed the people they were meant to protect and lead. 

When probed on whether there is such a thing as good leadership when human beings are fallible in their very nature, Kaindama points out some of the qualities he believes a good leader needs to possess and some of the past leaders whom he believes exhibited those qualities.

In his view good leaders are visionaries and he is of the opinion that the problem with most heads of state on the continent is that they don’t have a vision for the country. “I believe many leaders in Africa today do not have a vision.  They get into power not with the country in mind and what they are going to do when they are in power,” says Kaindama. He adds that without a vision, these leaders end up not doing much during their tenures. The 65-year-old author names South Africa’s former President, Nelson Mandela, as one of the statesmen who exhibit traits of good leadership.

He says in addition to being a visionary, Mandela “understood the difference between personal and national interests”. He is of the view that Mandela was able to place the interests of the nation/state ahead of his personal convictions or interests because he understood this difference. 

Another leader he believes is admirable is former Zambian statesman, Kenneth Kaunda. Whilst Kaindama isn’t in agreement with all the aspects of Kaunda’s ideologies, he lauds him for bringing Zambia’s different communities and tribes together.

Above all the first time author wants people to be hopeful that change can be brought about on the continent, all that is needed in his view, is good leadership.

@ 2024 OFM - All rights reserved Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | We Use Cookies - OFM is a division of Central Media Group (PTY) LTD.