Governor Sonko should exploit his social capital to solve Nairobi’s problems

What you need to know:

  • This philosophy of sacrificing for one another increases morale, which leads to more hard work and higher productivity. Further, it helps build trust in the organisation’s leadership.
  • There are fundamental expectations about any leadership. Key among them is that people want trust and security. They want to know that you will be there for them in their lowest moments.
  • Many years of city government failure led to many estates setting up their own governance structures. It will require insiders to help the county government reverse these structures.
  • In spite of his erratic behaviour, Sonko would have easily leveraged national events to gain a national platform to propagate his agenda, but that will go up in smoke if Igathe’s exit precipitates a campaign against him.

Colin Powell, the American retired general and former top diplomat, once said, “Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”

Repeat: A leader’s role is to solve problems.

And solving any one problem could mean sacrificing your own comfort for the good of your followers.

In his presentation on how to be a great leader, Simon Sinek suggests that good corporate leaders will not sacrifice their own employees by laying them off when going through hard times to protect their own interests.

Instead, they share the burden of suffering in order to minimise the suffering of any one employee.

This philosophy of sacrificing for one another increases morale, which leads to more hard work and higher productivity. Further, it helps build trust in the organisation’s leadership.

HELPING THE SMALL GUY

Leaders, therefore, are supposed to solve problems by helping the small guy first even if it means that the leader might suffer in the process.
The following is a true story of leadership failure and its consequences.

A young couple was attacked by carjackers on Nyerere Road in Nairobi. The gangsters ordered them out of the car. The husband, who was in the driver’s seat, jumped out of the car quickly and took off, leaving his wife behind with the attackers.

Left with no alternative in the turn of events, she thoughtlessly snatched the gun from the robber.

The gangsters immediately threw up their hands in the air. She ordered: “Get out of here you fools before I blow your heads off.”

In a split second, the men had disappeared into Uhuru Park. The woman got into the driver’s seat and drove to a police station, reported the incident, left the gun with the police and drove home without her husband.

The following day she walked out of her marriage never to return.

Relatives tried to patch up the relationship but the woman stuck to her guns. She said in one of the reconciliation meetings that even though she had taken vows “to love and cherish, for better or worse and in sickness or health,” she had neither trust nor confidence in her husband.

RETURN TANTAMOUNT TO SUICIDE

These vows, she said, besides infringing on her individual liberties, were made under the assumption that “the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church…” (Ephesians 5:23) but in this case there was no head.

Her return would have been tantamount to suicide since she had no protection and that the head of the household would not sacrifice for the family. The absence of leadership meant that the household had no direction.

The institution of marriage, therefore, robs women of leadership, bestowing it on men who can’t lead.

In the African context, this institution and its vows is a license to subordination of women even when they have clearly shown leadership qualities. The household will be in a better position if leadership is left to evolve.

As in households, organisations won’t exist if there is no head.

In a nutshell, this demonstrates people’s expectations about leadership. It matters less how you gained the leadership.

There are fundamental expectations about any leadership. Key among them is that people want trust and security. They want to know that you will be there for them in their lowest moments.

SACRIFICING FOR YOUR PEOPLE

Which perhaps explains why many leadership experts define leadership as sacrificing for your people. There are indeed other expectations, including fairness, freedom, intelligence and authority, but how you apply any of these expectations is what builds your social capital or trust and confidence.

Failure to meet these expectations often leads to dictatorial tendencies that do more harm to the household or organisation.

In households, violence is often the outcome of weak leadership as is failure in organisations with weak leadership.

Leadership, however, can be learnt. One has to start with scanning the environment (social, political, economic, and legal), giving the rank and file a voice to participate, while retaining the prerogative of decision-making but making sure that you share the credit with everyone.

The word “we” is sufficient to create a sense of inclusivity.

The raging differences between some governors and their deputies in Kenya largely emanate from a sense of distrust, fear that deputies may shine if given some responsibility and failure to encourage participatory decision-making.

ALLOW OTHERS TO AIR THEIR VIEWS

Even if there are sharp differences on an issue, it helps to allow others to air their views without prejudicing them. In the long run, it leads to respect from those that you work with and may even reduce environmental consequences whenever they arise.

The consequences of failing to reconcile Nairobi County leadership are grave, since the governor will more likely fail without the support of either the Kikuyu or the Luo.

Take, for example, the issue of garbage in Nairobi that cannot be effectively dealt with without engaging with hawkers. Seventy-five per cent of hawkers and more than 60 per cent of real estate owners in Nairobi are Kikuyu.

Many years of city government failure led to many estates setting up their own governance structures. It will require insiders to help the county government reverse these structures.

Governor Sonko has ambition and is perhaps one major political figure who has had massive social capital from different communities in Nairobi, but he is about to erode it considering that the middle class still is suspicious of his leadership.

For better or worse, he needs Polycarp Igathe. Whether he likes him or not, he needs him more than he can imagine.

FOCUS ON STRATEGIC FUTURE

In spite of his erratic behaviour, Sonko would have easily leveraged national events to gain a national platform to propagate his agenda, but that will go up in smoke if Igathe’s exit precipitates a campaign against him.

A good politician ignores barbs from people who are instrumental to their strategic future. There are lessons to learn from Kenya’s professor of politics, former President Daniel Moi.

In leadership, people want trust, security, strength and above all the ability to solve problems. People dislike disorder and drama.

It is said that “In Politics there is No Permanent Friends or Enemies, Only Permanent Interests.”

For anyone aspiring beyond the seat of governor, long-term interest overrides any short-term excitement.

Good leaders will spend time to win over the hearts of Kenyans through simple actions that cut across tribal lines.

The writer is an associate professor at the University of Nairobi’s School of Business. Twitter: @bantigito