The Professor

The Professor   

Last evening, I had a conversation with a Professor which caused me to think deeply about a few things. You see, this is a genuine professor of the book like ‘they’ say. He never cut any corners, was and remains diligent, and has progressively cut his teeth in a speciality that will benefit Ugandans or he generations to come.  However, inspite of his amazing accolades, my conversation with him has left me in awe. These are the lessons I learnt:

Humility  

Inspite of his international repute, the Professor is amazingly humble. He was – and has always been- cautious of his diction regardless of the fact that he knew that I know about his academic and other achievements. What struck me most was that he thanked me for two interventions I had made a few months back which, he claims, were key in opening up other doors for him.  While my part was indeed miniscule, I was quite humbled that a senior person would accord me such honour. Question - Are we willing to appreciate those who support us along the way? However little the part they might play in our life’s journey? How have I treated those who have been supported of me either by omission or commission? Do I remember to applaud them and remind them of the critical step they played in my life’s journey?

There is a picture on instagram that shows the size of earth (smaller than a pin head), from the view of planet Saturn.

This picture is quite humbling because Saturn is way larger than earth. It does put tings into perspective. Doesn’t it? Consider further, that when we travel by air, the size of the men we fear suddenly disappears. Not even an elephant or whale is threatening anymore when viewed from the skies. Even the small portions of land that people fight over or kill each other for are immediately lost in vagueness as one flies over them. Recent;y, my Mom avoided a squabble over a portion of land by reminding me that in the bigger scheme of things she has more land to concern herself with rather than the tiny stretch that someone sought to ‘steal’ from her. Life continues. Mom is keen about the entire universe and the galaxies. She has shown me that when you look at the bigger picture, you get to enjoy life more and appreciate the amazing work of creation. The entire universe and galaxy awaits us.

Viewed another way, the earth already feeds billions of people, who are created in the same image of God as I am. While my views of beauty may vary from the next person, at the end of the day, it does not matter because we are all human beings, capable of more or less the same thing, (environment, upbringing and opportunities notwithstanding). Often times as I return home to my family in order to rest, I recall that mine is but a small spot on the face of the earth where I get to rest my head. I am sure many of our ancestors also did rest in that area or fight off others from occupying it. At the end of the day however, they are all dead and buried, and I am privileged to walk in their path, regardless. I know a time will come and I will also step aside to allow my progeny to take control of these lands (and I ought to leave them in a habitable state too). So I need to be humble, do my part and let others be as well.

Therefore, humility is very important. Pride is likened to the African proverb about the gecko. It is said that when the gecko fell off a tree and no one else applauded it, it decided to shake its head – as it does to this day- to applaud itself for an amazing feat. Interestingly, no one cares. The snake never considers that when it seeks to make a meal of the gecko. Neither do the young boys with catapults learning to hunt down the elusive gecko. So it is with pride, at the end of the day, few care and in any case, life moves on.  Pride therefore makes one lose focus of the bigger (humbling) picture. It makes us self-centred, inward looking, jealous and selfish. Let us always remember ‘pride goeth before a fall’’

Leadership –

A conversation with the Professor about leadership about leadership reminded me about what my former headmaster told me when I was a leader. In all that you do as a leadership team; Consult, Concur, (then) Communicate.

1. Consulting others, including those junior to you never takes the leadership mantle away from you. A good leader always seeks out the more skilled and seeks their opinion before making the decision and owning it.  Pride often makes us believe that we do not need others and can do things on our own. Unfortunately, many decisions are made in haste and we lose out on critical information needed to help us make a proper intervention or decision. I have learnt to appreciate that taking time to make a decision is not necessarily a sign of indecision but consultation and studying the situation.  Always consult but remember to own the decision you make after doing so.
2. Concurring  with your leadership team is also important. This is because, the team feels like they jointly own the decision that has been made and as such, they will implement it. There is more that can be said about this but I recommend two books – TheAdvantage and Team of Teams
3. Communicating is also a key aspect of leadership. Often, leaders think that the less information they give, the less questions they will have to answer. This cannot be further from the truth. I recall clearly an event in an organisation I belonged to which created unnecessary uproar because lack of information. The easier option would have been for the leadership to communicate clearly and be transparent about what had happened. Unfortunately, the lack of transparency left many hurt people with some still struggling with trust and respect issues to this day.

Patriotism

Whereas the Constitution of our nation calls us to be patriotic, this call has been compromised because many in the nation perceive the messengers of patriotism to be unpatriotic. In fact, the word has now taken on a negative connotation in many circles. In fact, some people have decided to revert back to their own national (erroneously called ‘tribal’) allegiances instead of being patriotic. 

Like many a professor at in Uganda, this humble trailblazer has many international opportunities he can use to find himself better work and develop his personal and familial wealth. ‘I have now grown wiser’, he said. ‘I will not let my motherland down by seeking greener pastures for myself.’ He admitted. I must confess that I have thought – and still do- of packing my bags and relocating to places where the grass is richer and systems are better. However, who will stand in the gap when I am gone? I often wonder. 

What happens when we all leave for greener pastures?

Way forward

The question still lingers though. How can one remain patriotic when all around are seemingly not? What is the place of humility in the eader of today? How do we generally lead when given a chance?

Over to you –

30/11/2019