Personal Finance

Weak leadership fertile breeding ground for rebellion

GarissaTerrortt

Mohammed Abdirahim Abdullahi, (in the foreground) the former University of Nairobi law student who is believed to have masterminded the Garissa University College massacre. PHOTO | FILE |

Kenyans were surprised that one of the terrorists who attacked the Garissa University College was a young, well-groomed law graduate from a renowned Kenyan university.

Even Daily Nation’s columnist Louis Franchesci who briefly met him after a lecture noted that the clever, polished young man’s demeanour revealed “some sort of greatness” about him.

So why is it that he who had such great potential and who on the surface appeared to be the kind of heir any leader of family business would desire such a tragic end? Could it be that the social setting in which he was brought up contributed to this state of affairs?

In about 983BC Absalom rose up against his father King David, then and since the most popular king of Israel. Absalom was extraordinarily handsome, well-groomed and excellently educated — he was the king’s eldest son and one of the most favoured in the court.

The uprising came as a surprise to his father but probably not to others who saw the build up to the coup d’état.

First, resentment had developed in Absalom over the matter of his sister Tamar’s rape by their step brother Amnon. While it is recorded that David was “very angry”, nothing is noted about any disciplinary action taken for this heinous crime. It seems that this and possibly other issues of “historical injustice” were swept under the royal carpet leaving the population vulnerable.

Second, Absalom appeared to give leadership to a harassed underclass who felt that they could not get a fair hearing for matters in which they felt oppressed. Promising that he would “settle all claims for justice” if he were to become king, Absalom won these people’s hearts with ease.

The third and most debilitating factor was a lack of control by the aged king himself who seemed removed from his kingdom’s day-to-day operations. This real or imagined absence of leadership was the final straw. The revolution erupted shortly after and went on for three years.

It appears that this same trifecta of factors that has proved to be the critical component of insurgency movements world over also swept Abdirahim Mohamed Abdullahi into its embrace and cultivated in him the resolve to commit the atrocities of April 2.

He probably felt vulnerable or marginalised despite his calm outward appearance, found or became the leader of those who felt the same sense of powerlessness and was given room — consciously or unconsciously — by the authorities (at home and in government) to manoeuvre and execute his plan.

While all leaders of family business of good standing will do everything they can to ensure that they plant good seeds among the family members, they must also recognise that there are enemies around them, seen and unseen, who are also actively planting evil seeds among family members and within the venture.

Leaders should do everything they can to make it difficult for such seeds to sprout and grow to maturity within their ventures by meeting the needs of their constituents, swiftly resolving conflicts and ensuring that they are visibly present.

Leaders of family business must recognise that all insurgencies stem from vulnerable population — politically, socially or economically.

When groups, including families, cannot freely express themselves without reprisals, are segregated on account of gender, order of birth or other differentiator or are economically marginalised for any reason they will harbour disaffection against the leader.

Because vulnerable population cannot, by themselves, support uprisings against leaders, they will normally lend its support to a champion who speaks or acts on their behalf. This normally is a charismatic member of the group who stands out from the rest.

The leader of family business should realise that these two alone, that is, a vulnerable population with a leader are rarely enough to create an uprising. There must be the third element — the real or apparent lack of leadership control — which is normally the most devastating factor.

As soon as the members of the family business feel that the leader lacks the ability to either discipline errant members or protect the vulnerable from abuse then they cut off support and join the rebels. The collapse of the venture from that point is just a matter of time.

Mr Mutua is a Humphrey Fellow and a leadership development consultant focused on family businesses. His email address is [email protected].