Peoples, Partnerships, Loyalty, Allegiance, Frank Underwood

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…Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations, Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge…
Preamble to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights – Decmber 10, 1948

Image result for Images of Frank Underwood in House of CardsOne of my favorite Television Series is "House of Cards", which tells about a man's quest for political power and role of his wife in helping him achieve his goal. Now in its fourth season, the main Character Frank Underwood as depicted by Kevin Spacey is seeking reelection and during one of campaigns in college just before he was shot, he made these comments which struck my heart. 

 

"A diversity of ideas makes us all wiser. True leadership is not running away from those who disagree with you, but embracing them".

Frank Underwood was ruthless in his political manipulation, he displayed both Machiavellian and Sun Tzu's strategic planning with regards to politics. But in all he did, he knew the importance of working with opposition to achieve a common goal.

As a leader, you must work with those who disapprove of your methods, systems and strategies. The essence of leadership is to galvanize action for sustainable growth and development of everyone irrespective of which side of the divide we fall in. This is the goal of Diplomacy and Politics.

The 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly is ongoing and a lot of rhetoric is being used by world leaders; perhaps one resonating part of their rhetoric is the need for people and partnerships, the fact that we cannot achieve a world with peace and development if we don’t embrace our diversity and promote our similarities.

Hence, I agree with Frank Underwood because out of the 6 elements upon which the SDGs are founded, two strikes deep - People and Partnerships. The world didn't get this far without people and the partnerships that made. In 1945, it was the partnerships of the US, Great Britain, and other countries that birthed the United nations with its emphasis on global peace and security – the people.

A little deviation …

The biggest fear of every entrepreneur isn't what to produce, or what value they can create using information at their disposal; it is the fear of working with the wrong people, of entering into partnerships that would fail, hence many go solo.

People make the world go round, partnering with people can help you leverage on network, competence, experience, capacity and equipments not forgetting technical support. People join organizations for various reasons and so is same for startups. From personal fulfillment to value creation, to self development and giving back; the essence isn't lost.

Back to Frank!

In all his political manipulations, Frank Underwood’s lessons are crisp and clear. No matter the reason for joining, one thing becomes clear once you take the decision to join and that is, loyalty to the goals and objectives of that organization or cause.

Image result for Images of Frank Underwood in House of CardsOh yes! Frank loathes disloyalty! To be in his inner circles, you must be trusted. He is a loyal man, the inability of the then President to keep to his words by making him Secretary of State sparked the whole scheming from his time as a congressman.

You see, if you are not loyal, then you can not become familiar with the terrain neither can you grow or even give adequately. 

Loyalty promotes Trust and friendship and this is a very important part of team and organizational development, the core essence of partnerships.

Look around you, the major reasons why some firms collapse and people end up leaving is because there was an absence of loyalty either from the bottom-up or top-down. In between, it led to mistrust which gives rise to gap in communication, hatred, jealousy and strife.  Loyalty gets us past the moments of tribulations.

As their Excellencies and Majesties banter words, trade blames and engage in the traditional rhetoric that have come to define UNGA debates, perhaps it is time they look back the pledge they made to accept the UN Charter and also the Declaration of Human Rights.

If peoples and partnerships must work for the SDGs to succeed, then they must come down from their high horses and be loyal to the cause of Global Peace and Security. Enough of the Rhetoric!

Remain loyal to your allegiances!

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