Dr Goodluck Jonathan has called on world leaders to eschew destructive ego and lead with up building conscience.
In a Keynote address ‘‘Conscience Based Leadership: The Secret to Global Peace and Security’ at the Junior Chamber International, JCI, World peace Summit ongoing at Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, September 8, 2017, the Nigeria’s former president restated his belief that the conscience and integrity of leaders are germane to solving societal problems.
Speaking on leadership, Jonathan said it is “as the embodiment of a distinct aptitude that leads to answers to societal questions, and provides the optimism that keeps communities on track.”
“It is equally that structured game which every driven and spirited individual, out to make a difference in the lives of the people, gets an opportunity to play, in line with the rules”.
While “Conscience aggregates an individual’s moral sense of right and wrong which in turn directs his behaviour. In governance, leaders are faced with the same choices, and that is how conscience rules our world, for good or bad.”
Read the full text of his address here:
“The best leadership flows from inspiration and not from power or force of arms. You can only inspire people when your leadership is governed by your conscience and the support of the led. Power centric leadership is ego based”, Dr Jonathan stated.
“Looking at human history, it has been shown to be the only type of leadership that can engender world peace, progress and unity.
“Adolph Hitler was an ego based leader. He commanded a large army, and was also an intelligent leader. But because he was not governed by conscience, everything he built came crashing down and his name will forever go down in history as an anathema.
“On the other hand, Mahatma Gandhi, while leading the cause for India’s independence, did not command troops. But he easily galvanized his people’s support and liberated vast India from colonialism with his conscience, civility and power of his conviction.
“Ditto for Dr Martin Luther King Jr,… Dr King was a man that did not command a single armed man. He was not the political head of any community. His word was not law. He could not dictate his wishes but he inspired a nation with his conscientious speeches.
“Despite not controlling the instruments of government or the media, Dr King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech remains one of the most famous speeches of the 20th century.
“Though he did not hold a political office or control great wealth, he was able to inspire a nation to unite and discard segregation and racism and mobilize together toward the ideals of their Founding Fathers.
“The difference between them is that both Dr Martin Luther King Jr, and Mahatma Gandhi were led by conscience while Adolph Hitler was led by ego. Conscience builds, ego destroys.”
Read the full text of his address here:
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