Required change for leaders in South Africa!

When fraudulence and leadership discrepancy occur at highest levels of power in South AFrica, it is not merely illegal. Such illegality should be seen and understood as acts of injustice and crimes against humanity. These high order criminals suck the resource out of our economic system, which should be reforming the lives of our poor, marginalised and economically frustrated South Africans.

When people of power steal from the coffers of our national supply and make multinational trade offs that favour their personal greed and bank accounts, it would be appreciated if their self interest ideals had no effect on the lives of our working class.

The reality of life however, is that we are connected and unfortunately what ever high level leaders go about, surely affects our everyday people. It might sound absurd but the ethical code and conduct of our honourable organisational and societal leaders, and their choices, have direct effect on our everyday lives.

In a new order of democratic fertility leaders need to be informed by leadership principles and core values that interrogate systems that fail people. Leaders need to go through or be refreshed by personal change experiences that bring value to the lives of people that they serve.

There are too many leaders who accept the things they cannot change. Especially when that change calls for responsible and active critique of unjust social and organisational happenings.

Leaders need to be courageous in going about bringing change in areas they think cannot be changed. Leaders who have inspired the world have unwittingly gone about pursuing change in places and spaces that others said were impossible.

Leaders need wisdom to know the difference between costly change and possible change. Knowing the difference should not result in inaction concerning change that is costly.

It was a costly exercise when Steve Biko challenged the Apartheid dictators of South Africa. Aung San Suu Kyi knows costly change through her detention for the course of freedom in Burma.

Leadership within communities and organisations in our 21st century require a revamping of the serenity prayer, and it goes as follows:

God, grant me:

Serenity to understand the things that seem impossible to change,

Courage to change the things I can,

Perseverance to engage things that will be costly to change,

and Wisdom to know how to acknowledge the need for, implementation and realisation of positive change!

Do you and I have a choice?

I have been a part of discussions, talk shops, work-shops, academic presentations and regular person to person discussions on the issue of choice and whether or not people have the freedom to choose. Fundamentally I agree that everyone has the ability to choose and that every person has the freedom of choice, but this fundamental, simple and very shallow acknowledgement must be interrogated by a deeper analysis and the complexity that for some it is easier to choose whilst for others it is not. Furthermore the complexity of choice and the reasoning process lying beneath the surface of choice making or the ability to choose, must be further investigated and discussed. In my experience it seems to easy to render all faults within society, organizations or personal and professional development on the simple statement “you have a choice so choose” or “you had a choice and you chose badly”.

In agreeing that all people have the freedom of choice, it must be clarified that theoretically and intellectually it is so, but the practicality of an ‘I can choose” philosophy is where the problems arise and the rubber meets the road. It is here that I have contested and must continue to contest this simple analysis and shallow propaganda that all people have a choice and all people can choose. My main reason for raising the argument or contestation is based upon my observation that choice making or having the ability to choose is more complex than simple based on the art of choice or the art and educative process of choosing.

The complexity arises from the fact that social constructs and social realities have existed for lengths of time which have unfortunately rendered large numbers of people, communities and a whole generation of human beings choice-less or with the belief that they cannot choose. They do not have the ability to acknowledge that by their belief in ‘I cannot choose’ they are there in choosing not to choose. In fact it is here that smart intellectual arguments and hopeful statements of ‘make a choice to be a better person’ is rendered useless, when people have been plagued by the rationale that they have no choice.

Dominant rulers and dictatorial leadership, who have enjoyed the thrust of colonial escapades and continue to enjoy the thrust of neo colonial escapades, have actually minimized people into a state of social depravity and passivity. Such examples can be seen clearly in the Nazi regime and its brain washing of soldiers who carried out the merciless acts of ending the lives of Jewish people because of Nazi ideology. Yes they made a choice but it is clear that they were influenced by a system that convinced them that what they were doing was right. Again I agree that these people made a choice, but is this the type of choice making that we hear in our motivational pep talks and choice making consultations provided by corporate trainers and consultants. I think and I believe not.

Last week on 3rd assignment, a show that presents provocative media covered a story on mob justice. In this story a mother was told that she had to discipline her son for being a thug and mugging people in their township. The mother was given a bolder and told that she should cast the first stone. The mother clearly had to make a choice, either hurl the stone at her son or face the consequences of the mob dealing with her and her family for her inaction or reluctance to discipline her son. Clearly she made a choice but we cannot deny that there are social factors which dictated circumstances.

It is therefore important to provide people who are in a state of mental, physical, emotional, social, and economic oppression – the opportunity and experience that will aid them in the process of arriving at a place and space where they know how to exercise choice and to choose wisely.

Maybe in the example of the mother being forced by a mob seeking justice, she could have chosen to use some delay tactics or find a way to prolong matters until her son was able to run away or until police came. Maybe when we look at the example of the Nazi regime and the brain washing of people who became agents of evil, we must further explore the opportunities to expose people to the art of choice making.

Especially in the corporate arena or the everyday workplace where we may not face social evils of mob justice or Nazi law, but we do face social realities of people being regulated and many times minimized by organizational rule and autocracy. It is here that we must understand that not eve-ryone feels like they have a choice even if not choosing based upon their belief can be easily argued as they have chosen by not choosing. I have come across many people who feel totally captured and disenfranchised by their environment. I have spent much time coaching people on the method and approach of creating agency within the structural confinements of their working place. The ability to create agency is a choice but it is a skill acquired and an approach that requires time taken to study activism in the workplace that is diplomatic. Creating agency diplomatically provides healthy pressure within gate keeping systems that by design are actually choking the passion out of people in the workplace.

“For to choose is a choice that must be chosen, when you know that choosing is your choice to choose”. I offer this statement in light of deepening our discussions and understanding of life. In my everyday world I see people trapped in social realities believing they cannot make a choice or choose to bring change to their personal and family life circumstances. Social circumstances of unemploy-ment, lack of education, lack of access to resource or social networks, or just the inability to make a choice strategically in light of our complex democratic South Africa, are factors that must be consid-ered when considering choice and people’s ability or inability to choose. Choice is not worth choosing when your choice ends up in you loosing. It is a strategic choice making that must be engaged and explored in a world that is driven by capital gain and upward mobility.

At the close of the Football for Hope Festival 2010

In the air is a sweet symphony of people affirming this wonderful achievement, where South Africa has hosted the Football World Cup in Africa, and more especially the awesome effort of organizing and delivering the Football for Hope Festival 2010, in Alexandra Johannesburg. People who worked tirelessly to deliver this world class event have given of their time, talents and treasure to ensure that this event was delivered with excellence.
It has been a once in a life time opportunity to be a part of a team of people who worked together to ensure that the 11th stadium of the Football World Cup 2010 and all related programming and operations in Alexandra were on par with the excellence and magnanimous achievements of thee other 10 stadia. For those privileged to be a part of the festival organizing team of the Football for Hope Festival 2010, we know and appreciate the symbolism of having a township host a world class event.
As the closing ceremony of the Football for Hope Festival 2010 came to its finality, there was dancing and celebration of young leaders who will go forward to be social change agents and propel development through football in their 40 some odd countries around the world. It was a moment to behold seeing people from a great diversity of language, ethnicity, class, gender, culture and religion celebrating the moment and success of work that has been done, and work that will continue on through young leaders and their passion to see development through football bring social change in their respective localities and nations.
Being present and intimately active in the preparation, strategic engagement and delivery of the Football for Hope Festival 2010, is best captured as follows, “I was no just feeling it, I was responsible for causing the motion that allowed others to feel it.” I believe that while this event like other events has a start and finish, this Football for Hope Festival 2010 will be a solid foundation to inspire the already established Football for Hope movement spear headed by streetfootballworld and FIFA. More especially the memory of this event will be cherished and solidify a collaboration of organizations who have been part and parcel of an event that is a part of a process , a movement , a hope, a dream to see a world where there is equality, freedom and justice for all.
It is my hope that through the Football for Hope Movement authentic social change will emerge, allowing our world to experience social change that is lasting and sustainable. May the work and the future scope of social change possibilities be numerous and amazing, because people choose to really do what we otherwise only dream or envisage but seldom do we realize!