| Boss | Leader |
|---|---|
| Demands | Coaches |
| Relies on authority | Relies on goodwill |
| Issues ultimatum | Generates enthusiasm |
| Says "I" | Says "We" |
| Uses people | Develops people |
| Takes credit | Gives credit |
That post had me thinking about the people in my life who have exhibited those distinguishing qualities of a leader. And the person who first popped up in my mind was Stephen Lenai, the sensible classmate of mine at Starehe Boys' Centre who, as I have told you in the caption of the photo above, served as my house captain when I was in fourth form and in the institute division of the school.
For all the time I got to know Lenai since we met in Form 1 at Starehe in 2002, he never uttered anything negative to me like the way some schoolmates did when they commented on how confused I looked. Instead, he was an encouraging buddy who sometimes tried to draw out the best in me.
During one lunch session in 2005 when we were in Form Four for instance, he called me aside in the dining hall and asked me to be controlling my temper. Believe you me, I sometimes used to erupt violently like a volcano.
Then on our first days in Starehe Institute in 2006, he requested me to be attending the 6:00 p.m. roll calls after I missed them for several days when I reported back to the school for my college education. Note that he requested, not commanded, me to attend the roll calls.
The reason I had missed the roll calls was due to the loneliness I felt on my first days in Starehe Institute because my efforts to get a job had borne no fruits and some of my classmates in high school had left the centre. But thanks to Lenai who encouraged me to be attending roll calls, I eventually felt at home in Starehe Institute where I acquired a transformative diploma in information technology.
And later on during our time in the institute, Lenai would occasionally ask me to address our housemates during the 6:00 p.m. roll calls. It seems to me now that while some schoolmates at Starehe saw confusion in me, Lenai saw potential.
There was one Sunday roll call in 2006 that has remained etched in my memory owing to how euphoric I became after Lenai had me address my housemates. It was the day before junior boys of that year began their end-of-year exams and fourth formers, their final high school exams known as KCSE.
Just before the roll call began, I instinctively sensed Lenai would invite me to speak. So to prepare for my address, I wore an overcoat I loved to put on since it made me look like an American president in a winter inauguration ceremony. And my instincts turned out to be right, for Lenai did invite me to speak. Guess what I said?
Well, I just encouraged the junior boys not to despair since they still had plenty of time for improvement. As for the fourth formers, I was frank with them not to expect any miracles in their KCSE results if they hadn't been studying diligently. And when I asked my housemates whether miracles still happen, some shouted back that miracles still occur.
That short address to my housemates, which I delivered with feeling and conviction, is what made me feel euphoric after the roll call and well into the night. Lenai had made my day.
But what I am most grateful to Lenai now is the way he allowed me to sneak out of Starehe on Sunday mornings to be with my hometown Catholic church youth group when I was in the institute. You see, nothing much used to happen at Starehe on Sundays. We were just expected to wake up at 7:00 a.m., have breakfast and attend a mandatory church service after which we were free to do whatever we wished.
Looking back, I am thinking Lenai never minded my sneaking out of Starehe on Sundays because I was always back to the school for the 6:00 p.m. roll call. I am sure if some people I know had been my house captain, they would have created hell for me by forwarding me to the school administration for sneaking out. Oh, how I thank God that Lenai was my house captain! He truly was a leader, not a boss.
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RECOMMENDATION: If you've enjoyed the above story on how my captain helped me, you might also enjoy another on "A Model for Servant Leadership" in which I mentioned some other two high school classmates of mine. Just click on that link in blue to dive straight into the story.
