Leadership, Employment and Motivation

Tom ODOKI-OLAM
(UK-Kent)

One of the reasons why we study History is to make us aware of the signs which preceded past events. History also highlights mistakes which were made that resulted into certain nasty events taking place and further, analyses how such mistakes would have been avoided. The irony is that, despite such extensive studies of human past, such events continue to re-occur, giving the desperate and defeatist expression that 'History repeats itself'.It is human weakness and, or personal interest that makes it appear as if 'History repeats itself'.

It is with this background that I am presenting this paper on "Leadership, Empowerment and Motivation". I am presenting it in light of events which have taken place in Acholi. We, Acholi, are extremely good at pointing fingers at others, to blame them for all our troubles. We tend to forget that we are also responsible for some of our misfortunes.

We are gathered here to discuss how peace can be restored in Acholi. However, within the last 10 years so many meetings took place in various locations around the world to discuss this issue. Various delegations were formed, negotiations were conducted with Uganda government and 'peace agreement' signed. Up to today, there is still no peace in Acholi. Such past attempts have failed either because the leaders misjudge public mood, never mobilised people to follow them, never analysed what the real problems were, had their own personal agenda to fulfil or got frustrated for various reasons and the-would be lead just vanished from following them. Don't forget we have been there before. One of our biggest problems has been leadership, or rather, lack of it.

What is leadership? The formal definition of leadership is 'the ability to influence the behaviour of other people in a certain direction'. This definition is not manipulative. Basically, the attempt to influence behaviour is a key element of leadership.

Consider the following two quotes:-
"The challenge of leadership is to get people to willingly do more than they normally would, to perform to higher level." - GENERALL NORMAN SCHWATZKOPF.

"Most of our leaders don't think in terms of getting voluntary followers; they think in terms of control." - WILLIAM O'BRIEN, THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE FIELDBOOK.

The traditional model of leadership which still dominates most of our lives, is that described in the second quote by WILLIAM O'BRIEN. It is characterised by being male, hierarchical, domineering, ruthless, cold, exclusive, do not develop successors, resilient and has a dual standards / ethics. Here the whole organisation is centred around the leader who runs it like a cult. There is a political party in Uganda which falls in this category.

Leadership requires using power to influence the thoughts and actions of other people. Power in the hands of an individual entails human risks: first the risk of equating power with the ability to get immediate results, which is rarely the case; second, the risk of ignoring the many different ways people can legitimately accumulate power; and third, the risk of losing self control in the desire for power. The need to hedge these risks accounts in part for the development of collective leadership and empowerment (dealt with later).

There are two schools of leadership skills. First the Overt leader, who willingly and publicly stands up to lead. Tends to be No. 1 in the team, group or organisations, or willing to become No. 1. He / She is willing to take responsibility publicly for Vision, Direction and Implementation. This leadership model is very static and can result into a small hand picked clique dominating the group. Moreover, leadership is not necessarily about being No. 1. To be effective, the Overt leader must still possess the second leadership skills, the Subtle one.

The Subtle leader is one who wishes to influence and effect change at any degree, at any level and in any context. Here, any member of a group can exert considerable influence and leadership. This can be anyone who wishes to have an impact on someone else, a process or on an event. Subtle leadership is multilevel and dynamic. Because one can influence decision and lead a group even if that person is not at the top of the organisation, there is therefore maximum utilisation of all resources available to the group. Acholi need to develop and encourage subtle leaders, those who wish to influence and effect change at any degree, at any level and in any context. This can be achieved by appointing ad-hoc committees to accomplish tasks. There may still be a head, but the leadership is dynamic and is influenced by processes. Once that process or event is accomplished, that leadership ends and another one springs up around the next event or process. A classical example is KM. Subtle leadership would widen effective participation and reduce risks of our leaders being manipulated as has happened in the past.

Any group will expect its leader to have certain qualities and these will vary with situation. There is not, however, a standard mix of qualities to make the perfect leader in all situations. It is therefore important to look at the actions a leader has to take to be effective. The leader is chosen to get a job done through the people in the team. The leader therefore has three areas in which to work : - the task, the individual and the team. To be effective, a team needs spirit and targets to aim at in order to get the task done. The individual has personal needs and ambitions and a need to be an active member of the team.

It is the leaders responsibility to achieve the tasks, develop individuals and build the team. A breakdown or neglect in one area will affect the others and prevent the job being done as effectively as it could be. The leader's job is therefore to satisfy all three areas by achieving the task, developing and motivating the individual and welding the individuals into a cohesive team committed to 'getting the job done'. To be effective, a leader must be fully prepared to make sense of other people and pay attention to an 'individual'. He / She must pay attention to, and understand the individual.

The leader must know what triggers Pleasure & Pain in those who are waiting to follow. In evaluating people a leader must move towards what gives them pleasure and away from what gives them pain. A leader who does not understand the pleasures and pain of the followers and / or who does not care whether he / she is moving towards or away from each factor is committing an expensive mistake and should not be surprised if all the followers vanish. Why tell your daughter how wonderful and efficient a cobra snake is, when she knows that her best friend was killed by one, or why tell your children stories about very large pythons when you are trying to put them to sleep? You may be some one who enjoys keeping snakes as pets, but then before you open your mouth, understand what triggers pain or pleasure to someone you are talking to.

Effective leadership therefore involves three main steps :-

a) Tune in. Pay attention to those whom you are to lead. How many times have leaders bothered to even pay attention to whatever people tell them? How many times have some important views and concerns been ignored and swept under the carpet because the person expressing them is considered to be too young, primitive or uneducated?

b) Adjust your set. Enter their world, i.e. place yourself in their situation to understand why they behave as they do. If you are a person who was discriminated against, arrested, tortured, narrowly escaped death by a system or a regime, how would your views be? Amongst us are people who have lost virtually all their family members and they know the culprits responsible for the atrocious acts. Would you expect them to behave exactly in the same manner like someone who has never had any misfortune in life, someone whom from birth has had a silver spoon stuck in his / her mouth?

c) Start to influence. Start to lead them and address any concerns they may have. In so doing concentrate on your Arena of Influence. Arena of Influence is located in the Region of Impact within the Territory of Interest. For Acholi, the Territory of interest now is Peace and Stability. The Region of Impact which can deliver this is Complete secession of war in the region. The Arena of Influence is to create a conducive environment for the main parties to the conflict, the LRA/M and the Uganda government to stop fighting in Acholi and, most importantly, to honour their commitments. Let us not deceive yourselves, the main parties to the conflict are Uganda government and LRA/M. If we can not influence any or, even much better, both of the main parties to the conflict, then we can never have complete secession of war in Acholi and, sadly, there will never be permanent Peace and Stability.

If a bus is moving in one direction and you want it to go in an opposite direction, then you must find means of communicating with the driver to turn the bus around. You have to convince the driver that by turning the bus, he can reach his destination faster and safely. The important thing is that you must communicate and convince the driver. In the process of convincing the driver, he will explain to you why he is taking the opposite direction to reach his destination. Unless, the passengers in the bus are there against their own will, they will also be able to explain why they boarded the bus. Standing aloof and blaming the directions taken by Uganda government and LRA/M buses wont be helpful.

Another Arena of Influence, is to ensure that no condition is ever created, intentionally or otherwise, which makes it easy for war to resume. The Acholi populace must be treated with respect and not as scapegoats. People carrying out their normal lives must be left to enjoy the little hard earned produce of their labour. Firmly interlocked in the conflict in Acholi is the identity of Acholi and beyond that identity, their purpose and principles in life. For Acholi to maintain their purpose and principles in life, their identity must be safeguarded. However, identity is composed of beliefs, capabilities and what people value and is also influenced by the environment in which they find themselves. If Acholi people believe, rightly or wrongly, that successive governments have been bent in destroying them, then this will be firmly embodied in their identity and they may end up using all means within their capabilities to resist this. Resistance can be through songs, dances, slogans or even armed campaigns. On the other hand, any proposals that do not have values to them will just be ignored.

Acholi needs peace and that is the destination we are journeying today. Whatever is resolved in this meeting has to be carried out and it is very important to understand and have a leadership structure which can effectively carry out the delegated tasks. The remits and boundaries of the powers that the leaders shall have, and how members and interested parties have to be consulted and informed, must be laid down. What that effective leadership should involve, and the checks that have to be in place so as to avoid any misunderstandings that could cripple and render useless future activities, must be critically examined. Rushing over this important issue, and failing to reach a proper consensus will assign this KM to history books a yet another useless and costly rendezvous.

What is there to offer for the people of Acholi and the warring parties to enable peace to exist? How can such factors be delivered and enforced? How do we ensure that the parties to the conflict follow the tune of whatever is resolved and signed? First, the Acholi leaders must ensure that they move together with the people and not alienate them. Alienation is where one feels that something is being imposed on him/her. Being under such a situation means abandoning ones control over participation in an event. Secondly, the people must be motivated. They must made to realise that participation is fulfilling and satisfying, and that they are capable in developing events in all ways.

Acholi can be motivated if there is peace and security. People will enjoy freedom and carry out their normal life. The Uganda government must honour any commitments and ensure that no provocation is instigated or an environment created to start another cycle of insecurity. This could involve calling upon our friends abroad to help enforce the proposals so as to gain confidence of all parties.

How can most people in Acholi be reconciled to what ever happened and with whomever caused it? Well, this is a sad and tearful question. Forgive and start afresh is the answer. It will take generations to forget, but it will not be helpful, for the sake of those who are alive now, if any fresh start is delayed any longer.

What about reconstruction and rehabilitation of the innocent people and Acholi as a whole? Many papers are being presented at the conference on reconstruction. I shall only point out the effect of speedy and effective reconstruction as a motivation factor to maintain peace. Any delay in reconstruction can only cause frustration and create a fertile ground for insecurity. It is important to have health centres, hospitals, schools and roads reconstructed immediately. People who need resettlement must be given help. There must also be proper plan to reabsorb, train and resettle all those who lay down their guns.

There must also be an investment subsidy programme to enable investments to be made in Acholi. Acholi people in Diaspora should be mobilised to join hands in developing Acholi. The Uganda government must continue to provide security and conducive environment and join hands with Acholi leaders to act as facilitators. Acholi people must be mobilised to participate effectively.

The greatest resources Acholi have are the committed and very hard working people. Apart from peace and stability which they need, they also need motivation. To make a difference, the Acholi need to feel 'empowered' - to have some control over their working lives- a factor essential to the successful motivation. Empowerment in Acholi is supposed to herald a departure from the traditional methods of control and command which has dominated Uganda for so long. The emphasis should be towards making things happen through coaching and facilitation. The role of Uganda government and Acholi leaders have to be changed from one of command and control to one of support, facilitator, coach, and provider of direction and resources. They should remove barriers which stop Acholi people from using the competencies that they already possess. There are enormous untapped potential among us, but the 'traps, jumps and politics' developed over years have prevented this from being utilised. Empowerment shall be used to remove barriers which stop Acholi using the competencies they possess.

Empowerment is about making the most of people's potential, an understanding that people have the ability to do more things than they have been asked to do in the past. For empowerment to be effective in Acholi, it is important to ensure that communication does not get muddled so that there's a clear and wide understanding of the new empowerment initiative among the whole population. If people are to feel properly empowered, then it is necessary for them to feel totally trusted, requiring significant commitment from the leaders - an approach which makes leadership a key issue. It is also important to manage the leaders who are often the ones with the most to lose from empowerment and are well placed to launch counter-offensive or delaying tactics. Empowerment presents a fundamental change to the way people are organised and the benefits make the journey worthwhile in Acholi.

On leadership issue in Acholi, there is a new dawn emerging as exemplified in what the APG is doing. I would like to thank all the members of Acholi Parliamentary Group for their consistent approach in dealing with Acholi issues. This is a very good start which can be built upon. It is an approach which should long have been followed by other previous leaders. I would like to encourage them in their work, and also call upon all interested parties to recognise this and adopt similar procedures in dealing with certain Acholi issues so as to send out consistent and constructive messages. A united house remains a strong house. An entity is only as strong as its weakest point. Even in war, soldiers pay greatest attention and vigorously defend the weakest point in a garrison. We have to protect the weakest and most vulnerable Acholi with all the means available to us. These are the people in the villages, in various camps, and in Gulu and Kitgum towns. What the APG have achieved within their meagre means is remarkable. I thank you very much.

For those who are in position of authority within the government, my advice is this: -Insincere and unrelenting rubber-stamping eventually frustrates the powerful, who occasionally seek objective opinions, usually in vain. Be sincere in expressing your opinions to the powerful. That is the only way you will gain the confidence of Acholi and of the powers that be. If you are sincere the people will be behind you, and your strength will multiply. You would have played an important part in resolving the conflict in Acholi.

In summary, this paper proposes that: -

Full consultations must always be carried out on issues affecting Acholi and that no individuals or groups should be ignored. All concerns raised must either be addressed or a satisfactory explanation given. No one, or group should be excluded. Acholi must develop and encourage dynamic and process leadership based on issues to be resolved. This will avoid a No. 1 cult leadership which is vulnerable to manipulations. Dynamic and process leadership will enable the group to utilise all the resources available to it, and increases participation. Acholi needs to feel 'empowered' - to have some control over their working lives. The role of leaders have to be changed from one of command and control to one of support, facilitator, coach, and provider of direction and resources. Barriers which stop Acholi people from using the competencies that they already possess, must be removed. Acholi must try to forgive and start afresh. This does not mean forgetting what happened. It will not be helpful for the sake of those who are alive now if any fresh start is delayed any longer. The Uganda government must honour any commitments she enters into, and ensure that no provocation is instigated, or an environment created, to start another cycle of insecurity. There must be speedy and effective reconstruction as a motivation factor to maintain peace. Any delay in reconstruction can only cause frustration and create a fertile ground for insecurity.

Finally, I would like to register my thanks and appreciation to the wonderful and very effective work being carried out by the various NGOs in Gulu and Kitgum districts. It is you who have kept most of our people alive up to today. Please keep up your work.