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There's power in silence too

Living

 

There's power in silence
 There’s power in silence

A few of our leaders have been naughty lately.

Most recently, the behaviour of two of them reminded me of high school where prefects abused their office by shouting at their fellow students and sending them to the canteen to buy a loaf of bread with only a shilling.

And when I look around me, I see the same behaviour in ordinary citizens, even children.

I have come to realise that abuse of power is with us to stay. And why not, we are teaching it to our children.

The askaris at the estate gate will deny passage to a woman who is going to her own house just because she happened to dash out in her pyjamas to buy bread.

But an hour later when she drives off in her neat little sedan, her expensive weave flowing behind her in the wind and designer sunglasses gleaming in the hot sun, they will salute her and hold the gate open until the trail of dust subsides.

And then at work she will, in turn, take out her frustration on her juniors, turning down their ideas and frustrating their efforts to speak up. If their suggestions are implemented, her own agenda will not be served and, therefore, any great ideas must be laughed off and ridiculed to their death.

And so as Brian Tracy the author of 'The 7 Secrets of Exceptional Leadership' says, a true sign of a leader is one who listens to the people he leads and shows them respect. I happen to have listened to Tracy in person and I can tell you he's one smart guy so I believe him 100 per cent.

So instead of shouting or staring people down to shut them up or ridiculing them and laughing off their suggestions, a true leader would listen and give people a chance to try things their way – it might just be the solution they are looking for.

Humility comes from people who take time to understand that they are not perfect but who also understand that covering up that imperfection with noise actually highlights them instead of hiding them. It is those who have been silent all along who end up having the final say.

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