Leadership Matters!

COVID-19 tested leaders in their different capacities as they reacted to the pandemic. Political leaders, policy makers, church leaders, corporate leaders, business leaders and many others have been and still are being tested. At the global front, we saw two types of political leadership emerging, one type which was in denial and did not quickly react to put in place measures and policies to curb the spread of the pandemic.

This led to the pandemic spreading like wildfires in some countries leading to the death of many people. On the other hand, we saw leaders who were efficient and pragmatic, a group that took immediate action to put in place policies and communicating the severity of the disease with their people. This group managed to reduce the spread of the disease in their countries. The reactions of the political leaders showed their leadership styles exposing some good and bad traits for them.

As an African, I was skeptical at the beginning of the pandemic. Despite our leaders admitting the severity of the pandemic, many countries were ill prepared to deal with a disease with such a magnitude. I was looking at how the health sector has collapsed over the years in many African nations. A year into the pandemic Africa is not the worst hit continent in terms of fatalities this can be attributed to many other measures that were taken.

As we pray this week, we need to remember our political leaders and policy makers. We need leaders that are compassionate, that can also respond to the people’s needs. We need our policy makers and leaders to prioritize the health of the people, the health workers and their institutions. We also need to pray for post COVID-19 recovery plans, which are inclusive and people driven.

As we pray for this week, we need to remember corporate and business leaders. There have been forced to do some difficult decisions to keep businesses and organizations afloat. Let us pray that they will not pursue selfish interest over the life and health of people. Let us also pray for our church leaders, they have been providing moral and emotional support to different people in their localities.

The current pandemic requires leaders who are pragmatic, modest and efficient. Leadership is one of the key ingredients to fighting the pandemic; our leaders need to make their decisions count!