Is Africa getting it right on management style?

I am seated in-front of an interview panel that is tasking me on the true values of a leader. As I scratch my head trying to recall my management classes, I am bluntly asked whether I can, without qualms, dismiss a bad employee at the blink of an eye.Turning towards her, I am shocked to realise the interviewer meant every word she said. For the kind of civil society post I was seeking, it was puzzling whether such aggressiveness would not be calling for disaster.A few months down the line, I am seated in front of a leader that believes a good normal discussion between colleagues involves shouting at each other in a small office space. He feels great and energised as we step out of this totally flustered partner’s office;“boy, that was a good meeting!”, he said.Flashing back to my days as a young worker, I remember watching mesmerised as the Trump apprentice style of leadership unveiled. The most loud, aggressive and sometimes unfair apprentices were the most rewarded by Donald Trump.True to form, the trend picked up across the globe. The classic virtues of a good leader (search google), like being a good listener, objective, fair, motivator, and the like, flew out of the window.It was not surprising then, that during the 2012 first US Presidential debate between Obama and Romney, the opinion polls went down for Obama, interestingly not so much for the lack of content as it was for the lack of some exciting debate.The world seems to yearn for the snarl, snap, bite kind of leaders that bombard each other into submission.Could it then be possible then that leadership also goes trendy? From the cold tight-lipped colonial style, into the polite, seemingly warm, but often calculatingpost-colonial veneer, and now the unnecessarily aggressive, chest-thumping Trump style; it becomes difficult to display the true values of leadership when yourpersonal style has to compromise to trending styles for survival.It seems our world bodies have caught the bug as well and are currently under close scrutiny for displaying hostility and intrigue that we once naively thought only happened in the office place; at least not outside closed doors.Whereas one may say this has always been the case, the fact that international bodies seem to have been partitioned into country territories is an open secret, perhaps often taken for granted.However, the world is quickly closing in as a global technological village that avails much more exposure and awareness on the advanced systems in the diaspora; making it harder to blindfold into submission the less advanced nations.Because of this, international hypocrisy and intrigue is abounding and becomes embarrassing when it gets obvious that this civilised world no longer feigns to play fair.It is therefore not surprising, though long overdue, the recent developments as Africa makes its stand on the workings of the International Criminal Court. The issue under contest is selective judgement and bias based on the level of goodwill between a nation and its godfather, where a case is purposely twisted to suit the interest of the prosecuting party.Second is the level of godfather interference in the socio-economic and political affairs of a less advanced nation, based on intrigue and self-interest, as opposed to a genuine desire for the good of the country. Third is the impunity with which a stronger nation uses its power and networking to punish the weaker ones that have slighted it or refused to bow to its wishes.Now whether such actions can be justified by a trending style of aggressive leadership or the growing scarcity of resources- your guess is as good as mine. It is just that what started out as an expansion of territorial power to increase wealth resource in the scramble for Africa, has now become a scramble for survival, what with increased demand and limited resources.It is interesting how the phrase ‘the law of the jungle’ is consistently coming up in various discourses these days.That said Africa is still ground for exploitation until it learns some tougher lessons on compatriotism and patriotism. Nowhere in the contemporary world, as in Africa, are political adversaries so ready to put the stability of their own nation at stake for personal gain or grievances.This immaturity is costing the continent a lot in terms of socio-economic and political growth, and makes it an easy pawn for exploitation. So bravo Africa, while you learn to snarl, snap and bite, it is important you tighten your belts some more and put the good of your nation before yourself. I guess the case for cotemporary good governance should really be a melange of both democracy and the rule of the jungle.The writer is a social critic based in Kigali

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Is Africa getting it right on management style?