What's in a name anyway?

2019 was replete with enough memories for a decade, and among them, September 6 stands out.

That morning, along with a few others, I took a 2?-hour road trip from Kigali, the Rwandan capital, to Kinigi, a village 103 kilometers north-west, set in the foothills of Volcanoes National Park and just a stone’s throw from Rwanda’s borders with Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.

In a large open field, several tents were arranged in front of a massive platform built around a giant model of a mountain gorilla and her baby, on which a trio of musicians pranced from one end to the other, enthralling and entertaining a large crowd. 50,000 people sat and stood around the stage and as far back as the eye could see towards the Virunga volcano which stood as an imposing backdrop to the event. The atmosphere was alive with festive music, strong base thumps, and a hum from thousands of vocal cords as the crowd gyrated, jogged in place and stumped in turn with the electrifying artists on stage.

The event was the Kwita Izina, an annual event started in 2005 in which endangered mountain gorillas born in the preceding 12 months are ceremoniously named. Kwita Izina derives from Rwanda’s traditional naming practice, and as in the ritual for humans, to be designated a namer is an honor. On this day, the namers hailed from a broad global landscape and included Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation Dame Louise Martin, English football legend Tony Adams, former Dutch football manager Louis van Gaal, supermodel Naomi Campbell, choreographer Sherrie Silver, American music artist Ne-Yo and many more. The event is graced each year by international and national dignitaries, and included Rwanda President Paul Kagame, who had himself been a namer of two gorillas in the first ceremony back in 2005.

The symbolism and pragmatism of the event were hard to miss. For one, it was a celebration of government and local efforts that had not only saved the species from extinction, but also made them one of Rwanda’s most appealing tourist attractions. In addition, it was a visible galvanization of national pride and cohesiveness in a country more known for a horrendous genocide than as one of Africa’s current-day success stories. Also, in bringing the world to this small village each year, the villagers and park wardens who diligently care for the animals year-round are recognized publicly as collaborators in this powerful phenomenon that was post-war reconciliation, economic growth, patriotism and globalism all rolled into one. 10% of park revenues are plowed back into adjacent communities.

Perhaps the biggest reflection for me was the power of the naming ceremony itself. By extending the traditional naming honor reserved for humans to mountain gorillas, Rwanda humanizes them. With names like Intego (Purpose), Biracyaza (Great things are coming) and Ingoga (Courage), each of 2019’s Kwita Izina gorillas became beings with identities and destinies that we could track and ask after and look out for throughout their lives. They became members of the larger Rwanda national family whose souls and roles were made real – as players in the national process. President Kagame embodied as much when he opened his speech with an update on his wards named in 2005. None of them will ever be forgotten.

As leaders, do we know or remember the names of the people in our organizations? Or, do we only expect that they know ours and that they follow us, without us first being disciple to their own individualism? Do we know their stories? Do we acknowledge their presence, understand their hopes and or help plan their possibilities? Do we respect their humanity and that of the families, and namers, who invested in them and look up to them? If all this answers in the negative, and if we are casual versus deliberate managers of people, are we then really enablers of their potential? And, if enabling potential is not what we do – what then is the quality of our claim to leadership?

The mentor who was most influential on me, one of Nike’s most consequential rainmakers, was an advocate of personal stories as the foundation for achieving the impossible. Over his career, he made deep storytelling of individuals a hallmark of his leadership, accelerating not only the company’s fortunes but thousands of careers and professional lives as well. “It’s personal”, he would say.

When I had my first major leadership assignment as Nike’s country manager in Malaysia, in charge of a team of young people, I also grew as a student of the individual. Amid a business reset that threatened 30% of revenues, we experienced a warehouse crisis that buffeted the organization for 6 months. Then, a beloved team member took ill and eventually lost a battle with cancer. I had no choice but to mind for the embattled team – person by person, day by day. The effort evolved into an organic, collective and ultimately successful therapy I summarized as I AM... to which each person would add their aspirational adjective.

Within the African Leadership Group, as we seek to groom leaders for Africa, the power of the individual or of names or of personal stories is not lost on us. Just a few months ago I had the opportunity to sit in on the orientation activities of the entering class at African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg. Two days into their initial arrival on campus, high schoolers engaged in a sharing session on the meaning of their names. It was striking to see not just how much they came to learn about each other in the process, but also how each one started to reflect more deeply about who they were, what their purpose could be and which hopes and aspirations their parents had for them when they were named at birth. At African Leadership University, the institution that I now have the honor of leading, My Story, a regular practice in which staff and students share and narrate their individual journeys, is part and parcel of the culture.

As leaders, do we know or remember the names of the people in our organizations? Or, do we only expect that they know ours and that they follow us, without us first being disciple to their own individualism? Do we know their stories? Do we acknowledge their presence, understand their hopes and or help plan their possibilities? Do we respect their humanity and that of the families, and namers, who invested in them and look up to them? If all this answers in the negative, and if we are casual versus deliberate managers of people, are we then really enablers of their potential? And, if enabling potential is not what we do – what then is the quality of our claim to leadership?

The punchline here is that leadership is not just about leading organizations and leading people but also about leading yourself. Because, as much as leaders must lead with empathy for and understanding of the people they manage, this is not always the case. Many leaders are more focused on themselves or similarly narrow interests. But for each one of us - owning our name, defining who we are, articulating what is important to us and visioning our own future is the least that we can do for ourselves. This is especially critical and necessary in a world prone to massification and group association. Forming this clarity about and for us is foundational for optimizing our lives. The unattractive converse is letting others define us in their own way, with their own motivations, in their own time.

So, this week, as we look towards the new year and the start of a new decade, instead of falling victim to peer pressure or being compelled by shallow listicles or glib advertising as we generate the usual long and ambitious list of resolutions that we are not likely to keep, let’s replace the process with reflection on three simple questions: Who am I? What do I want to accomplish with my life? How willing and ready am I to do what it takes to achieve it? It will be time well spent.

So, what’s in a name anyway? My answer is “a summation of your potential, which is just waiting patiently and eagerly for you to reach it.” What’s yours?