Well…..these are interesting times indeed! There are many social and political issues bedeviling us in this season; showcasing the best and the worst of governance. If it isn’t the wars in Ukraine, Gaza or the conflicts in Sudan, Ethiopia, the Sahel region and in Congo, it seems that we humans are in a perpetual state of tension and conflict.

Beyond the instances of armed conflict that has us praying for world peace; there have been waves of surprise outcomes in presidential and pre-election occurrences in various part of the world. Public sovereignty- that the power and supreme authority is vested in the people, is being exercised loudly and articulately supported by the information age (3rd industrial revolution) and the intelligence age (the 4th industrial revolution).

As governance professionals attempt to stay in our lane and practice in what we believe is the more sanitised version of organised leadership through our laws, codes, policies and procedures; we cannot afford to be deaf and blind to the undertones in this season. The agency theory- where we appoint leaders (management) and delegate our authority is long gone and we are now reminded of the stakeholder and servant theories where leaders must take the sentiments of the society they lead and articulate their ideas compellingly enough for others to choose to follow. Else, the positional power that the leader holds becomes transient- here today and gone tomorrow by the very people who put the leader in power.

So what must we do in this season? We must engage with these political and social issues using our principles of inquiry (find out what is the sentiment, identify the facts, and advocacy (whether things are being done in the right way).

For our corporate leaders, research by the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance has gone ahead and done useful research ‘ Measure of Leadership: CEOs and Directors on Navigating Change’ and shares that this season of political uncertainty is definitely of concern with the business disruptions it brings. That said, top CEOs are remaining focussed on what they can actually impact and control within their organisations e.g corporate culture, managing changing talent needs, environmental and regulation changes and increased cost of capital.

The pressure to take a stand on national and geo-political politics by CEOs and Boards is watered down by the need to focus the organisation on its performance, which shows by their muted silence amidst the tensions. According to the article, this silence is supported by the workforce, noting that voicing an opinion could impact the brand negatively, unless it is unavoidable to do so, and even so, the comments must be made in a strategic and nuanced manner.

That said, we remain available for any governance advisory, compliance and services even during these complex times; visit www.akiraconsult.ke