The world needs real leaders

The biggest mistake people tend to make is to confuse politicians with leaders. It may sound a bit offbeat, but hear me out.

Politicians are people who have chosen to make a career out of politics. They are the local councillors and provincial legislature members who have never done anything other than politics as a means of ensuring an income.

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They will listen to your complaints and promise to have potholes fixed. They will even go so far as to cut the grass on the pavements or paint fire hydrants while posing for countless photos and handing out party propaganda during the exercise.

But do they really inspire anybody to follow them?

I am rather fascinated by the psychology and theories regarding leadership and why some leaders can inspire a nation to go to war.

Let’s just take a moment to reminisce about one or two great leaders. John F Kennedy played hardball with the USSR to such an extent that the world came within seconds of nuclear war.

But he stood his ground and had basically the entire US population’s support. Will the current US president, Joe Biden, be able to unify his country the way JFK did?

Let’s be honest, he can’t even find his own car, so how will he be able to steer America in a conflict.

Margaret “Iron lady” Thatcher did the same when Argentina laid claim to the Falkland Islands. Although the Falkland Islands are 12 700km away from London and are smaller than the Kruger Park, Thatcher defended those islands with all the British force she could muster – and was hailed by her countryfolk for doing so.

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One can only wonder how UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will react if dealt that same hand. Considering that the UK government is using Rwanda as a human trafficking partner, I very much doubt that Sunak will inspire anyone to fight on the beaches.

Fact is, the world is very much in need of real leaders – men and women who can lead, inspire, take control and steer the masses through turbulent times.

Leaders with vision who can make the decisions required to ensure a prosperous future. What we need are real leaders to go into politics, not wannabes who can’t even inspire their children to make their beds in the morning.