The rise of the consequential leader

The COVID-19 outbreak has shaken individuals, families, businesses and communities across Africa and around the world. The viciousness and velocity with which the pandemic has struck is unlike anything our world has seen before.  

It has been said that a crisis doesn’t build character — it reveals it.  Indeed, the heroic response to this crisis has demanded much of us, but it has revealed even more.  

As we sit in isolation at our kitchen tables Zooming colleagues with kids darting across the screen and dogs barking in the background, a new breed of leader is emerging from this “new normal.”  

This doesn’t mean that the leadership fundamentals of the past are no longer relevant. Virtues like authenticity, trust and composure matter as before. But this crisis is exposing the need for a new type of leader — the consequential leader.  

In the past, most leaders were assessed by their organizations’ financial, operating and brand performance. However, if there is one thing the past several weeks have revealed, it is the life and death consequences of the decisions leaders are making. 

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is a consequential leader. He is allocating $800 million to help small businesses, NGOs and healthcare workers.

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson is a consequential leader. He is extending pay and health care benefits to the coffee giant’s furloughed employees. 

Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola K?llenius is a consequential leader. He challenged his Formula One racing engineers to invent a next-generation ventilator — they delivered in under a week.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is a consequential leader. He directed employees to work from home long before government mandated self-isolation.

And, our own African Leadership University President Christopher Williams is a consequential leader. Days before government-imposed quarantines in Rwanda and Mauritius were declared, he preemptively initiated the transition of the university to online learning channels and safely evacuated hundreds of students back to their homes in dozens of countries across Africa. 

So, what distinguishes this new era of consequential leaders from their peers and predecessors?

First, consequential leaders thrive in uncertainty. There is no playbook for moments of consequence like the one we are facing. They don’t simply dust off the old playbook. Leaders of consequence create new ones. And in doing so, they are not afraid to improvise, make mistakes, learn from their errors and adjust their plans on-the-go.

Second, consequential leaders pivot between speaking to our minds and moving our hearts.  They have the sensibility to know when and how to deliver the hard truth as well as realistic hope. Consequential leaders are not only blunt about what we need — more ventilators, masks and testing kits; they also remind us of what we already have — things like resilience, courage, conviction and compassion. 

Finally, consequential leaders put serving others ahead of serving themselves. They put the public interest before their self-interest. Consequential leaders understand that they will be measured not by their success but by their significance. 

While there is still tremendous ambiguity about how this crisis will play out, I have no uncertainty that Africa has the opportunity to unlock a new era of stronger, more consequential leaders coming out of this.

It is safe to say, this experience will define us for generations. And, as in all moments of great consequence, history will judge our leaders, organizations, governments and societies by how we acted — and the consequences of our humanity and inhumanity.