What I know for sure; leaders, trailblazers, change agents, chief transformation officers, as the title of a new found friend of mine, Dr. Wale Akinyemi, reads, are found absolutely everywhere; at every strata in society, in every walk of life of every village, every town, every city, every country and every continent of the world.
How far their reach, how great their impact, how renowned their name, is subject to people’s experience of their contribution to transforming the world they set out to influence. And that is all I will say about that.
What I want to address myself to, without digressing too much, is what I have come to learn through either, first hand exposure to, or, from literature giving insight into, the minds and worlds of these boys and girls, men and women who have and, continue to live legacies in whose wake, entire generations are transformed and destinies unfold.
What I have been part of most of my life but only in the past 3 years been more conscious of, is just how many informed, engaged, creative, courageous, driven leaders there are out there and how little they (a) know of each other and where they do, (b) work together. Whether they champion youth empowerment, environmental protection, responsible business and governance, Africa’s renaissance, mobile money, equitable access to clean water, fair trade or freedom of the press, when I interact with them, whether in person or through the written word, I can literally feel the power harnessed and synergies possible from our combined strengths.
I often meet these phenomenal people because someone, somewhere, who has “experienced” their leadership, impact, solutions, has told other people, who have told other people who decided to organise something and when creating their guest list, decided that these great boys and girls, men and women, must be invited. I’m telling you, it all starts with a list.
I am forever grateful to my God that increasingly so, I too get on these “lists” and travel in Tanzania, across Africa and around the world to meet, strategise, work, debate, shape opinions and solutions to the world’s challenges (in my case, usually pushing on the agenda the transformation of youth competitiveness for responsible business in Tanzania and through Tanzania, Africa). With every assembly, I meet some of “the usual suspects” on the “list” but also each time, more of other trailblazers in their fields. I get humbled each time I consider the accomplishments of the people around me and bless my God for including me in their midst and I passionately and deeply engage in conversations that I know will sooner (than later) develop into ventures.
