Theory A: Preliminary Perspectives on an African Model of Leadership

The third source of leadership is based on the mythic history of inspiring vision. It is this source that is most closely aligned with the sacred element within organizations. The organization is saturated with energy and purpose. The role of a visionary leader is to identify and become a servant (Greenleaf, 1970) of this energy and purpose. If rocks, trees, and beasts of the field have been assigned some reason for being, then organizations must certainly also have been assigned a purpose and provided with the accompanying energy. Theory A requires that a visionary quest be undertaken by the leaders (and members) of an organization so that this purpose might be identified—and its accompanying energy fully engaged.

It is in his sustained articulated vision of a new, more equitable and inclusive South Africa that we might find the most important contribution to be made by Nelson Mandela. It is a vision that resonates not only in his home country, but also in nations throughout the world where citizens long for a similar compelling image of their own future. There is, of course, the risk associated with relying on a visionary leader. This risk resides in the possibility that the vision is realized, leaving a community, organization or nation without something to which the members of the community, organization or nation can collectively strive. As Fred Polak (1973) has noted, any community or society must have a compelling vision of the future if it is to be viable. What then happens when the future has been “confiscated” and there is no new vision to populate the future?

Even worse, we might find that the realized vision is not as great as it was supposed to be. To some extent, this seems to be the case in South Africa. While this country has become quite inclusive (for instance, with regard to LGBTQ+ rights), there is still much to be done. Mandela’s vision has not been (and probably never will be) fully realized. At an even more universal and existential level, we might note that life in general often seems to continue without much new or much better taking place. It is easy, sometimes, to declare in despair that it is one “damned” day after another without much to inspire us. As Peggy Lee observed in her most jaded ballad: “is that all there is?“ An existential moment of collective disappointment has been all too common in world history. Yet, as Fred Polak declares, we must keep hoping and dreaming of a brighter future. Polak is offering us another component that can be added to the foundation of Theory A.