Think of a time when you chose to do something seemingly inconsequential in the moment. Could have even been something as small as succumbing to your friends’ encouragement to stay out longer instead of going home early to prepare for that huge pitch the very next morning. Maybe something as simple as playing football. You guys start off light-hearted, playful. But then one a wrong step and it is a twisted ankle, or even worse, a broken leg – and suddenly, your ability to lead, inspire, or provide is compromised.
This is the strange, often overlooked burden of leadership. It isn’t just about making the big, boardroom decisions. It’s about the thousand tiny, seemingly trivial choices that ripple outward.
The Web of Purpose
In leadership, as in life, everything is connected. When we speak purpose, we tend to think of it as individuals – what drives me, what I am meant to do. But purpose has never been just about you. It is a network of obligations, expectations, and dependencies. None of us is only accountable to ourselves. I, for example, am accountable to the People who thrive because of my leadership – my family, my Next Media team and the many people that count on them for their stability.
When I recognized this, purpose became something more than a personal mission. It became a responsibility, call it a shared contract with the people whose lives intersect with mine.
What We Risk When We Forget
Every leader, both world over and even back here in Uganda, at some point, feels invincible. The job is going well, the team is growing, the vision is becoming reality. And yet, history is full of stories of great leaders who were undone – not by dramatic, calculated moves, but by small missteps. The wrong partnership. The casual disregard for a routine. The failure to recognize how fragile success can be.
It isn’t paranoia. It’s awareness. The awareness that where you spend your time, how you behave, the habits you cultivate – all of it matters. I always remind myself if I become reckless with my actions, it is more than my own future that I am putting at risk; I am also gambling with the futures of the hundreds of people who rely on me!
The Myth of Individualism
We love stories of lone geniuses – leaders who seem to pull themselves up through the sheer force of will. But real leadership is not a thing of solitary brilliance – it’s about the environment you build around yourself. A great leader pulls those around them forward, not just themselves. Therefore, the true test of leadership is not what happens when things are all going well, but how intentionally you protect what you’ve built.
I think of leadership as a delicate chain. Each decision, habit, and risk is a link in that chain. If one weakens, the whole structure is compromised.
A Thought Experiment
Imagine losing the capability of leading just because of a thoughtless choice you made! What happens next? Who suffers? Who stumbles because you are no longer there to guide them?
This is not to say you should live in fear of every decision. Rather, you should live with awareness. Leadership is an investment. You don’t just lead for yourself. You lead for everyone who stands behind you.
The Challenge
- So, here’s what I ask of you:
- Reflect. Ask yourself, “who depends on me?”
- Look at your choices – are they building resilience or eroding stability?
See leadership not as an achievement, but as a responsibility to preserve and protect.
Because in the end, leadership is not about you. It’s about the thousands of unseen, often unspoken ways your choices shape the world around you.
And that is where true purpose begins.
