…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
One 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.
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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