THE HAND-OFF: WHAT WE OWE THE LEADERS OF 2040
When I was just starting my leadership path, I had a coach who believed in me, and he decided to make me Captain of the Under-13 Craven Week team. I was an unmanageable 12-year-old who couldn’t sit still for more than 20 minutes at a time. These kids often scare teachers and coaches and are then moved aside for the shy and humble kid who never does anything wrong. That is the easy option, and potential is often missed because the path of least resistance is taken.
Today, I salute the coach who took a chance and gave me a shot at leadership, even when it had the potential to blow up in his face.
THE MISSING PIECE IN MODERN LEADERSHIP
What I see today is a very different story, and so often there is no succession planning when it comes to leadership. I don’t like to use politics because it is a very dividing topic in our beautiful country. The fact of the matter is that politicians should be a great example to use because they are supposed to set the example of how to serve the people of our country.
Leadership is less about the individual and more about the mobilisation of capable people who really want to make a difference. The youth of today are dying to have proper role models, and yet they are few and far between in our societies.
WHAT WE OWE THE NEXT GENERATION
So, what do we owe to the leaders of 2040?
We owe them a proper education that can compete with any other country in the world. We owe the leaders of 2040 the opportunity to dream big and believe that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. We owe them the hope that tomorrow can be better than today and yesterday if you make the right decisions. We owe them dignity, respect, pride, and a sense that this country has the potential to be right up there with the best in the world.
That is easier said than done because many of our future leaders are living in poverty in a township. When we won the World Cup in 2019, the team did a trophy tour through the whole country on a bus. When the bus went through the poorest townships of our country, you could see the joy of the kids when they saw Siya Kolisi lift the World Cup. You could also see the hope in their faces that if Siya can achieve, then I too can achieve great heights in my life, even though I am growing up in a township.
EATING THE ELEPHANT ONE BITE AT A TIME
So, what do we do? We eat the elephant one bite at a time, and we give small pockets of hope wherever we can.
Charity starts at home, so we uplift whoever is around us. We give freely of our time, and we make sure that the leaders of 2040 take on life with hopefulness and gratefulness.
GET IN TOUCH
If you would like to get in touch with me about my key note presentation, Debunking Motivation, please send an email to corne@cornekrige.com. Visit my website to review my speaker sheet for more info. I also share my story on my social media pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.