Magnanimous Leadership
Sahaya G. Selvam
In 1925, Pope Pius XI introduced the feast of Christ the King as a warning against the totalitarian leaders that were cropping up in the early part of the 20th century. It was a statement against the situation of Europe between the two World Wars. Today, the feast invites us to do a soul-searching of our own leadership style.
Scholars and experts have proposed different models and styles of leadership. Among positive styles of leadership are: Visionary Leadership, Situational Leadership, Participatory Leadership, Transactional Leadership, Transformational Leadership, Servant Leadership. Integrating most of these styles, I would like to propose a model of leadership which I call, “Magnanimous Leadership”. As I live through the political turmoil in Kenya, I dare suggest, that Kenya today needs Magnanimous Leadership.
The word, ‘magnanimous’ signifies an attitude of being benevolent, generous and altruistic. It literally denotes being big-hearted. It includes being generous and forgiving especially towards a rival or less powerful person. It is akin to what some authors have termed, Virtuous Leadership, or Authentic Leadership.
If leadership is understood as an opportunity to exercise responsibility towards a group, coordinating its decision-making processes and activities, then Magnanimous Leadership is simply a style of carrying out the responsibility with a large and generous heart. What could this mean in practice? I would like to explore certain styles of operation that Magnanimous Leadership entails.
- Inclusivity
The heart of a Magnanimous Leader is large enough to hold everyone. Such a leader is able to bring together everyone around a common purpose. These leaders are able to move out of the petty in-group mentality, and extend an open arm to even those who are considered to be in the out-group. With this type of leadership, it is no more “we” and “they”, but it is only “we”. They are also able to have people around them who are different from them.
- Readiness for Reconciliation
Closely related to inclusivity is the openness for forgiveness and reconciliation. In the Hebrew Scriptures, Joseph of Egypt is ready to reconcile with his brothers who had sold him as a slave.
When Nelson Mandela was released from the prisons in 1994, after being imprisoned for 27 years, people expected him to take revenge on his captors. Eventually when he became the first black president of South Africa, he set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Archbishop Desmond Tutu lauded Mandela, “He’s going to be remembered as an icon of reconciliation and forgiveness, a person of very considerable magnanimity.”
- Dialogue
In order to achieve inclusivity and reconciliation, the Magnanimous Leader is ready for dialogue. Rather than making unilateral decision, the leader is alert to soft voices that express difference of opinion. Magnanimous Leadership assents the “my way” and “your way” to “our high way”. They are able to reach out to the dissenting voices. Sometimes dialogue requires going beyond the law. It entails giving someone more than their due.
- Courage
The readiness to walk into the enemy’s den for dialogues calls for courage. It is only a person of inner courage who can reach out to his erstwhile enemy. In the Torah, there is a story of Jacob who cheated his brother and coveted the right to be the clan leader and consequently had to run away from the wrath of his elder twin brother. There is a powerful scene in the narrative: just prior to his return to his brother Esau, Jacob wrestled with a divine personage the whole night. At dawn, as he was strong enough, Jacob could walk right up to his brother and be part of a fraternal embrace.
- Accepting liability
One of the expressions of courage is the ability to accept one’s mistakes. A Magnanimous Leader accepts liability. They apologise. They resign when they realise they have been responsible for an inefficient system. They hand on power to others when they realise that the situation demands more than what they are capable. This is what Mwalimu Julius Nyerere did in 1985, acknowledging that his philosophy of Ujamaa has not worked as he expected in Tanzania. This is what Pope Benedict did in 2013, abdicating himself and giving way to someone else to lead the church. More recently, this is what the British Prime Minister David Cameron did perceiving that is campaign for No to Brexit had been defeated.
Often resignation and abdication do not necessarily mean that the leader has made a grave mistake or that they have failed in their duty. It could be necessitated by the out-dated style of leadership and organisational structure.
Bhutan is a little kingdom tucked away in the Himalayas situated between India and China. It has had a consistent form of political structure since the 17th Century, and since 1907, the Wangchuck dynasty had ruled the kingdom as an absolute monarchy. However, in 2005, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck wanted to introduce parliamentary democracy in his kingdom. The people were not keen on a parliament, they were quite happy with their king. However, the king thought monarchy is a matter of the past, and people should be directly involved in their self-rule. Following the first elections in 2008, the king now remains the head of the state and the Prime Minister became the head of the government. The king himself assented to a constitution that allows the impeachment of the king by the two-third majority of the national assembly. This is magnanimity at its best.
- Humility
Both openness to engage in dialogue and accepting liability entail a great level of modesty and humility, in addition to inner courage. An arrogant person cannot be a Magnanimous Leader. The arrogance of his personality might ruin the prospects for the people that they lead. Paulo Freire, the great Brazilian educationalist and philosopher, points out, “dialogue cannot exist without humility. The naming of the world, through which people constantly re-create that world, cannot be an act of arrogance. Dialogue, as the encounter of those addressed to the common task of learning and acting, is broken if the parties (or one of them) lack humility. How can I dialogue if I always project ignorance onto others and never perceive my own?”
- Being a person of Character and Virtue
As we begin to describe Magnanimous Leaders it seems that such leaders are virtuous people. We have already pointed out that they possess virtues such as forgiveness, courage, humility. Anthropological examination of elders in African traditional societies has suggested that they were paragons of character strengths. Indeed, Magnanimous Leaders are people of integrity. They do not consider themselves above the law. They require their children to stand in queues when they are seeking a job, as Mwalimu Nyerere insisted with his own children. They deal with others and themselves in a spirit of utmost fairness. They are willing to make sacrifices. In a similar vein, a Magnanimous Leader is aware of the flaws in their personality and acknowledge that these flaws might clash with some other personality types.
- Embracing Consensus
Magnanimous Leaders make decisions not based on mere majority opinion, but always seek consensus among the members of the group. This is possible, as pointed out above, by reaching out in dialogue to the dissenting voices. They do not manipulate, they are fair to all parties concerned. They decide more by the spirit of the law rather than by its letter, especially when such decision would entail some sacrifice on their own part.
A Magnanimous Leader is considerate to the welfare of the minority groups. One expression of magnanimity is affirmative action to the vulnerable sections of the whole group. This would mean extending some reserved opportunities and privileges to some groups, so that all may eventually have equal playing ground.
- Towards a Common Narrative
Magnanimous Leaders know very well that the unity of the population is a pre-requisite for development and happiness. They work towards unity by means of inclusivity and dialogue, as mentioned above. They also facilitate the evolution of collective narratives. As it is said, history is often written by the victor. However, under magnanimous leadership, history is written collectively. The history captures even the little contribution of minority groups and acknowledges regrettably the gross mistakes of the majority groups.
- Common Resources for the Common Good.
With due consideration for affirmative action, under magnanimous leadership everyone has common access to the resources of the group. Leadership is not perceived as a privilege of having access to resources for personal gains, either for the leaders themselves or their in-group.
Yes, Magnanimous Leadership builds a nation. It turns politicians into statesmen. From the faith perspective, in the light of the feast of today, it accepts that God is the king of all nations, and Christ is the king of all hearts.
Other Sermons
YEAR A: Christ the King – Shepherd Leadership
YEAR B: Christ the King – The King of our Hearts
YEAR C: Christ the King – The Suffering King