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A leader is not a ruler and a ruler is not a leader

One of the mistakes we make often is to think that just because a person is in a position of authority and power, he or she automatically becomes a leader. No, not quite. There are major differences between a leader and a ruler. Here are some examples:

What are the differences between a ruler and a leader?

A LEADER

• A servant leader who leads and directs by inspiration

• A servant leader exhibits integrity and not just talk about having integrity.

• A person, usually a servant leader, who actually cares about the people he or she is leading, likes them and loves his or her nation.

• A servant leader who serves those whom he or she leads and places them before his or her own needs.

• A servant leader who has fear of God and who has a great vision for the nation he or she is leading.

• A servant leader who is focused on one goal, which is to unify his or her nation, and steer it to greater heights and success.

• A servant leader who thinks about his or her nation’s citizens, considers their challenges and tries to address them.

• A servant leader who gathers by inspiration rather than scatters by discord or disengagement; he or she creates strong coalitions across the nation they have been entrusted to lead, build and unify as one cohesive entity.

• A servant leader is usually humble, honest and transparent, and leads by inspirational example.

• A servant leader obeys the law and does not set him or herself above the law. For example, a servant leader obeys court orders; he or she respects human rights and operates within the boundaries of the law.

A RULER

• Any person who uses brutal force to direct by intimidation.

• A ruler, brutal or less brutal, does not exhibit integrity but rather talks about about having integrity. In other words, he or she talks but does not "walk the talk."

• A brutal ruler who actually does not care about the people he or she is leading, dislikes them and despises his or her nation, although he may pretend outwardly.

• A ruler who uses brutal force; he or she commands, orders and decrees, and places his or her needs before those they are ruling.

• A brutal, vision-less ruler who has no real fear of God, and who exhibits a god-complex and sees him or herself as being a god to be worshiped.

• A brutal ruler who uses the “divide and rule” approach to control the nation he’s ruling; he or she creates factions and pitches them against each other so as to dominate all of them.

• Usually a brutal dictator who uses any and all means, mostly illegal, to get their way; in other words, for him or her, the end justifies the means.

• A dictator, usually brutal and who does not care about the challenges and trials of those that he or she is ruling. This kind of ruler is usually surrounded by sycophants, or flatterers who simply tell him or her whatever they wish to hear.

• A brutal dictator who scatters by discord or disengagement; he or she creates weak or no coalitions across a highly divided nation, In fact, a brutal ruler who takes advantage of any divide within his or her nation, widens it to achieve their selfish agenda.

• A brutal dictator is usually arrogant, dishonest and never transparent, and rules by manipulation, intimidation and forceful coercion.

• A ruler, brutal or less brutal, does not obey the law, especially when the law rules against him or her. He sets him or herself above the law. For example, a ruler disobeys court orders; he or she disregards and abuses the human rights of others, and does not operate within the boundaries of the law.

This above list is by no means an exhaustive list. However, I hope the above examples clarify the differences between a leader and a ruler. Basically, a leader is not a ruler and a ruler is not a leader.

Now that we have reviewed some of the differences between a ruler and a leader, we can see that most African countries, including Nigeria, have never really had leaders; rather they have had and still have rulers. In addition to the ingrained corruption, greed, ethnic divide, lawlessness and a general lack of checks and balances in the badly run “systems”, African nations have lacked good leadership. There is a dearth of leaders with a great vision for their nations.

So, what is the solution? To start with, high school and university curriculum should be restructured to include mandatory practical leadership training, to be focused on good governance and changing the psyche of the young men and women who are the future of the various countries in Africa. In addition, true good governance systems with appropriate checks and balances should be put in place to curb corrupt practices.