Professor Samuel Bacharach of New York City-based Institute for Workplace recently wrote on his blog that silence is one of the best leadership traits.
Bacharach observes that most of the time leadership implies action, movement, and, for many, it implies noise and “rarely do we concentrate on the reflective, attentive, and contemplative elements crucial to leadership. The introspective moments of leadership are key tools in sustaining momentum.”
My golden quote from Bacharach blog is: “Between the words, between the actions, between the political strategies, leaders must create silence. Silence that allows for ideas to be absorbed. Silence that allows for emotions to settle. Silence that allows for bonding and healing. Silence that allows people to sit unthreatened and unchallenged.
“Smart leaders know how to create these gentle gaps both for themselves and their colleagues. The best part is, it’s not that hard. Creating silence simply requires stepping away from debates, initiatives, lectures, meetings, adjustments, and plans.”
Vice President Joyce Banda practically followed this strategy when she was sacked from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). She used silence so successfully to play mind games with her critics who were busy bashing her at rallies and press conferences. The critics ran out of steam and the ranting stopped. Her opponents’ garrulous strategy backfired as it created sympathisers for her.
Few months ago, I was convinced that her current silence strategy would work political miracles until few days ago, when I read that propelled by recycled politicians, she has decided to launch her own party. There are reports that some of her lieutenants are already holding open political rallies.
To me, she is now losing the plot; and if she is not careful, she will end up like Brown Mpinganjira who when he formed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had two principal objectives but only succeeded to achieve one. Mpinganjira formed NDA to block Muluzi from standing for the third term and to catapult his group into power.
The first objective of blocking Muluzi from standing for the third term was achieved but the second one flopped miserably. In my view, Mpinganjira’s early campaign which he started three years before the 2004 polls resulted in his political misfortune in the presidential race.
Mpinganjira failed to successfully market himself and his party for three years and sustain the popularity and the sympathy he had. His popularity waned as election time approached and he lost.
If Joyce Banda has presidential ambitions she might end up following Mpinganjira’s footsteps, of launching the party early and losing steam due to lack of a coherent political marketing plan that can be successfully be implemented in three years.
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Road to 2014 is already riddled with potholes of academic freedom, draconian Section 46 of the Penal Code, ban of peaceful assembly, dented human rights record and partial aid withdrawal. That’s the price one pays for early campaign of trying to sell a candidate instead of using marketing oriented approach in a democracy.
In politics, three years is a long time, and if one is not careful, he or she can quickly lose steam and become irrelevant by the time the country goes to polls in 2014. The Twister believes that silence backed by thorough underground work in 2011 would have worked to the advantage of Joyce Banda.
In 2012, she would have worked out issues of registration of the party and explore possible political partners. Come 2013, she would have launched the party and criss-cross the country in vigorous campaigns 12 months to elections. As expected in a country whose leaders believe in tit-for-tat, her arrests on trumped up charges would then be luring more sympathy votes in 2013 and 2014.
I recall in early 1990s late Chakufwa Chihana was the first to come on the scene in the fight against one party regime, but late-comer Bakili Muluzi was the winner of the crown because of the through underground work that the UDF as a pressure group did.
Any candidate who wants to win elections should consider developing a political marketing plan because nowadays people choose parties in the same way consumers choose products.
Many analsyts point out that the current American leader Barack Obama in his campaign used a lot of market-oriented strategies to win the elections.
They for instance observe that in the primaries, while his rival Hillary Clinton was relying on what worked to elect Bill Clinton, Obama used social media and the new rules of marketing to brand himself as an agent of change.
In the actual presidential race, his rival John McCain was depending on strategies that worked to elect George W. Bush, but Obama cleverly devised market-oriented strategies which were in response to people’s needs and wants.
Throughout his campaign, Obama’s catchword was “change.” Launching a party and holding rallies without a key message to be delivered to the masses is poor political marketing. You can not sway the modern day voter through the art of mudslinging.
Mind you, Obama in his campaigns rarely talked about his competition. His campaign revolved on messages of new hope and change. His campaign team knew that negativity usually doesn't sell.
Malawi needs parties and politicians who can declare how if given a chance to govern us will enhance academic freedom, address deteriorating human rights standards and ensure that all the freedoms which are under threat will be restored.
The country needs politicians who can clearly tell the nation: “How will they deal with the notorious Section 46 that infringes on media freedom? What assurance can they give to lecturers who are pressing for academic freedom? What can they assure Malawians on good governance? What is their policy on food security?
This article first appeared in the column called The Twister published by The Daily Times of Malawi
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