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| Today's feature | |
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Preparing New Leaders! By Dr John Roughan |
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| Report after report say
the something. Each time a study group from abroad lands on our shores,
studies the Solomons' Social Unrest period (the seeds of which were
planted among us as early as 1986!) and make recommendations, each
and every report speaks about leadership. Or better still the lack
of good leadership! These studies whether from our own people or others,
point to the poor and unfocused leadership which our people have suffered
from especially since 1986. In both the 1997 and 2001 national elections many good people thought that electing more and more new parliamentarian leaders would change the leadership of the country for the better. But this has proven untrue. In the 2001 election, for example, 32 new members made it to parliament but among those new members were at least 3 who were closely tied to the 2000 Coup. These are the same 'leaders' who were more than willing to destroy the nation for their own twisted purposes. No, a new kind of new leader has to take root first of all among the ordinary people in the village and town and then work itself up to the national level. But how to go about creating a new kind of leader? What does a new type of leader look like? What qualities are necessary for the new leader in this new century within a new country? Our leaders over the past 25 years have failed to strengthen the nation. Few of them shared a vision for the future! They had no dreams for the nation fit for all people and for the whole nation. Recently, since the middle of last year and continuing on this year, police personnel, village Big Men in different provinces, church personnel and leaders in the NGO sector have been participating in a new kind of training. The Restorative Justice Workshops conducted by National Council of Women, Literacy Association of Solomon Islands, SIDT and other NGOs have been conducting leadership workshops across the nation. One of the main lessons accented by this kind of training has been the personal qualities of a sound and good leader. For instance, in spite of the obvious lesson God himself teaches us and one we see each morning when we look at our faces in the mirror, old leaders talked much more than they listened. When a person looks in a mirror, it becomes crystal clear that humans are suppose to listen FOUR times more than they speak. Two ears and two eyes and only one tongue! Too often, however, leaders reverse that order. They speak four times more than they listen. The Restorative Justice course walks participants through how a leader should attentively listen. It's not merely a matter of the leader keeping quiet but actively trying to hear what the other person is trying to say. That means hearing not only the words coming out of the other person's mouth but the body language, the small signs and gestures that the other person uses while speaking with his voice. We call this listening with the 'third ear'. Hearing the message behind the words, Listening to the real meaning that is under the words used. Quality listening can be learnt but needs much practice. Active listening is but one goal of a good leader. The training course talks about and practices other parts of a good leader's working for his people. All these small things, however, disappear if the leader is not straight, honest and caring. These qualities lie at the heart of good leadership. The Restorative Justice course asks leaders on all levels of society--police personnel, church leaders, NGO activists, women's groups--to practice these traits first of all within their own family. Once these qualities are rooted within the small society--the family--it's time for them to be used in the big family, our society. |
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JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED By Frank Short, CBE |
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Just when the news coming out of Honiara had begun to look a little
more encouraging following the appointment of a new police commissioner
and a start to the demobilisation of special constables, aided by
a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), there came the tragic
and shocking news of the assassination, while in Auki, of Sir Fred
Soaki, the first locally appointed police commissioner and peace
activist with the National Peace Council (NPC). Any speculation
on Sir Fred's murder must be avoided while police investigations
are conducted, but the fact that the National Peace Council members
have stopped their work for the time being, at least until the reason
for the killing is known, is understandable, but a set back to the
peace process. It is unfortunate, too, that there is now a delay
while the demobilisation programme on Auki is reviewed, but again
quite proper given Sir Fred's mission at the time of his death. |
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