Servant leadership is key in public service

Maa Council of Elders John Maitai (STANDING) handing over a leadership baton to Governor Joseph Ole Lenku in a fete where the Governor was declared the new leader of the Maa Nation since the death of former Cabinet Minister William Ole Ntimama in 2016. [Peterson Githaiga, Standard]

Leaders are public servants, not bosses.  It is the public, through taxes, who pay their salaries and benefits. The president is the mouthpiece. Leaders should, therefore, exercise civility in their conduct in order for the government to attain its goals.

Insulting and humiliating juniors generates defiance. It is a manifestation of lack of basic leadership quality and misuse of a position of privilege. Above all, leadership requires emotional intelligence.