What it takes to be a great leader | Roselinde Torres | TED

Translator: Nelson Simfukwe Reviewer: Joachim Mangilima

What makes a great leader today?

Kitu gani kinatengeneza kiongozi bora leo?

Many of us carry this image

Wengi tuna picha

of this all-knowing superhero

ya mashujaa bora wajuao yote

who stands and commands

anayesimama na kuamrisha

and protects his followers.

na kuwakinga wafuasi wake.

But that's kind of an image from another time,

Hiyo ndo picha iliyopo akilini,

and what's also outdated

na kilichopitwa na wakati ni

are the leadership development programs

programu za maendeleo ya uongozi

that are based on success models

ambazo zinategemea mazingira ya kufanikiwa

for a world that was, not a world that is

katika dunia iliyokuwepo miaka hiyo,sio dunia tuliyonayo

or that is coming.

au ile inayokuja.

We conducted a study of 4,000 companies,

Tumefanya tafiti katika makampuni 4000,

and we asked them, let's see the effectiveness

tuliwauliza,tuone ufanisi

of your leadership development programs.

wa programu yenu ya maendeleo ya uongozi.

Fifty-eight percent of the companies

aslimia 58% ya makampuni yote

cited significant talent gaps

walilenga vipaji muhimu

for critical leadership roles.

kwa majukumu mazito ya uongozi.

That means that despite corporate training programs,

Ina maana pamoja na mafunzo ya ushirika,

off-sites, assessments, coaching, all of these things,

ukaguzi,mafunzo na haya yote,

more than half the companies

zaidi ya nusu ya makampuni

had failed to grow enough great leaders.

yalishindwa kukuza viongozi bora wa kutosha.

You may be asking yourself,

Unaweza jiuliza,

is my company helping me to prepare

kampuni langu linanisaidia kuniandaa

to be a great 21st-century leader?

kuwa kiongozi bora wa karne ya 21?

The odds are, probably not.

Ubaya ni kwamba,jibu lawezekana kuwa hapana

Now, I've spent 25 years of my professional life

Nimetumia miaka 25 nikiwa kama mtaalamu

observing what makes great leaders.

nikichunguza ni kipi kinaleta kiongozi bora.

I've worked inside Fortune 500 companies,

Nimefanya kazi ndani ya makampuni 500 yenye utajiri mkubwa,

I've advised over 200 CEOs,

Nimeshauri zaidi ya wakurugenzi 200,

and I've cultivated more leadership pipelines

na nimeibua mkondo wa uongozi

than you can imagine.

zaidi ya unavyoweza fikiria.

But a few years ago, I noticed a disturbing trend

Lakini miaka michache iliyopita,niligundua mlolongo ulio na usumbufu

in leadership preparation.

katika kuandaa kiongozi.

I noticed that, despite all the efforts,

Niligundua kwamba,pamoja na juhudi zote,

there were familiar stories that kept resurfacing

kulikuwa na hadithi zilezile ambazo watu wengi wanazifahamu

about individuals.

kuhusu watu.

One story was about Chris,

Hadithi hii inamhusu Chris,

a high-potential, superstar leader

kiongozi mahiri na maarufu

who moves to a new unit and fails,

aliyehamia katika kampuni nyingine na kuja kufeli,

destroying unrecoverable value.

kuharibu thamani isiyoweza rudishwa.

And then there were stories like Sidney, the CEO,

Na pia kulikuwa na hadithi kama ya Sidney,mkurugenzi,

who was so frustrated

aliyechanganyikiwa

because her company is cited

kwa sababu kampuni yake inaangaliwa

as a best company for leaders,

kama kampuni bora kwa viongozi,

but only one of the top 50 leaders is equipped

lakini ni mmoja tu, kati ya viongozi 50 bora anayeweza

to lead their crucial initiatives.

kuongoza mipango yao muhimu.

And then there were stories

na tena kulikuwa na hadithi

like the senior leadership team

ya timu ya ngazi ya juu ya uongozi

of a once-thriving business

inashughulika na biashara yenye kuweza leta faida sana

that's surprised by a market shift,

lakini inashangazwa na kubadilika kwa hali ya soko,

finds itself having to force the company

na kujikuta katika ulazima

to reduce its size in half

wa kupunguza namba ya wafanyakazi hadi nusu

or go out of business.

au kuacha biashara kabisa.

Now, these recurring stories

Sasa,hizi hadithi zinazojirudia

cause me to ask two questions.

zimenisababisha nijiulize maswali mawili.

Why are the leadership gaps widening

Kwanini pengo la uongozi linazidi kuongezeka

when there's so much more investment

wakati kuna ongezeko kubwa la uwekezaji

in leadership development?

katika maendeleo ya uongozi?

And what are the great leaders doing

Kipi cha tofauti ambacho viongozi wakubwa wanafanya

distinctly different to thrive and grow?

kinachowawezesha kukua na kuleta faida kubwa?

One of the things that I did,

Kati ya vitu nilivyofanya,

I was so consumed by these questions

Nilitumia muda sana kufikiria kuhusu haya maswali

and also frustrated by those stories,

na pia kuchanganywa na hizi hadithi

that I left my job

niliacha kazi

so that I could study this full time,

ili niweze kujifunza kuhusu hili muda wote,

and I took a year to travel

ilinichukua mwaka kusafiri

to different parts of the world

sehemu mbalimbali za dunia

to learn about effective and ineffective

kujifunza kuhusu palipo ufanisi na pasipo ufanisi

leadership practices in companies,

uongozi katika makampuni,

countries and nonprofit organizations.

nchi na pia taasisi zisizo na kibiashara.

And so I did things like travel to South Africa,

Niliamua pia kwenda Afrika Kusini,

where I had an opportunity to understand

na ndipo niliweza kuelewa

how Nelson Mandela was ahead of his time

jinsi gani Nelson Mandela alikuwa mbele ya muda wake

in anticipating and navigating

katika kugundua mapema

his political, social and economic context.

mazingira yake ya kisiasa,kijamii na kiuchumi.

I also met a number of nonprofit leaders

Nilionana pia na viongozi wengi wa taasisi zisizo za kibiashara

who, despite very limited financial resources,

ambao,pamoja na kuwa uwezo mdogo wa kifedha,

were making a huge impact in the world,

lakini wanaleta mchango mkubwa sana duniani,

often bringing together seeming adversaries.

wanaleta pamoja changamoto mbalimbali

And I spent countless hours in presidential libraries

Nimetumia masaa yasiyohesabika kaika maktaba za maraisi

trying to understand how the environment

nikijaribu kuelewa jinsi gani mazingira

had shaped the leaders,

yamewabadili viongozi,

the moves that they made,

hatua walizopiga,

and then the impact of those moves

na matokeo ya hizo hatua

beyond their tenure.

zaidi ya madaraka yako.

And then, when I returned to work full time,

Kisha,niliporudi kufanya kazi muda wote,

in this role, I joined with wonderful colleagues

katika jukumu hili,niliungana na washiriki wenzangu walio bora

who were also interested in these questions.

ambao pia walikuwa na hamu ya majibu ya haya maswali.

Now, from all this, I distilled

Sasa,katika haya yote,nilichambua

the characteristics of leaders who are thriving

tabia za viongozi wanaofanikiwa sana

and what they do differently,

na kujua kipi cha tofauti wanachofanya,

and then I also distilled

na pia nikachambua

the preparation practices that enable people

maandalizi yanayowezesha watu

to grow to their potential.

kukuza uwezo wao.

I want to share some of those with you now.

Nataka kukufahamisha kuhusu haya sasa.

("What makes a great leader in the 21st century?")

("Kitu gani kinatengeneza kiongozi bora wa karne ya 21?")

In a 21st-century world, which is more global,

Katika karne ya 21,ambayo ipo kimataifa zaidi,

digitally enabled and transparent,

imekaa kidigitali na iliyo wazi,

with faster speeds of information flow and innovation,

yenye uwezo mkubwa wa kusambaza taarifa na pia ugunduzi,

and where nothing big gets done

na ambapo hamna kitu kikubwa kinachokamilika

without some kind of a complex matrix,

bila njia ngumu

relying on traditional development practices

zinazotegemea mazingira yaleyale ya zamani

will stunt your growth as a leader.

yanayohatarisha ukuaji wako kama kiongozi.

In fact, traditional assessments

Kiukweli,uchambuzi wa kizamani

like narrow 360 surveys or outdated performance criteria

ambao unatumia njia zilizopitwa na wakati

will give you false positives,

utakuwa majibu chanya ya uongo,

lulling you into thinking that you are more prepared

kukufanya ufikirie kwamba umejiandaa

than you really are.

kuliko vile ulivyo.

Leadership in the 21st century is defined

Uongozi katika karne ya 21 unaelezwa

and evidenced by three questions.

na kushuhudiwa na maswali matatu.

Where are you looking

Wapi unaangalia

to anticipate the next change

kutabiri mabadiliko yanayofata

to your business model or your life?

katika mfumo wa biashara wa maisha yako?

The answer to this question is on your calendar.

Jibu la hili swali lipo katika kalenda yako.

Who are you spending time with? On what topics?

Unatumia muda na nani?Katika mada zipi?

Where are you traveling? What are you reading?

Unasafiri kwenda wapi?Unasoma nini?

And then how are you distilling this

Na kisha unachambua vipi haya yote

into understanding potential discontinuities,

katika kuelewa ukomo wa uwezo,

and then making a decision to do something

na kufanya maamuzi ili kutimia jambo fulani

right now so that you're prepared and ready?

kwamba sasa umejiandaa na upo tayari?

There's a leadership team that does a practice

Kuna timu ya uongozi inayofanya mazoezi

where they bring together each member

ambao wanakusanya kila mwanatimu alicholeta

collecting, here are trends that impact me,

huu ni mlolongo wangu,

here are trends that impact another team member,

huu ni mlolongo ulihamasisha wanatimu wengine,

and they share these,

na wanashirikiana pamoja,

and then make decisions, to course-correct a strategy

na kisha wanafanya maamuzi,kutengeneza mkakati ulio sahihi

or to anticipate a new move.

au kutabiri hatua mpya za mafanikio.

Great leaders are not head-down.

Viongozi bora huwa hawaangalii chini.

They see around corners,

Wanaangalia huku na kule,

shaping their future, not just reacting to it.

kutengeneza nyakati zao za baadaye,sio kupambana nazo.

The second question is,

Swali la pili ni,

what is the diversity measure

kipi ambacho utofauti unapima

of your personal and professional stakeholder network?

katika binafsi na utaalamu wa mtandao wa wadau?

You know, we hear often about good ol' boy networks

Unajua,mara nyingi huwa tunasikia kuhusu mitandao ya good 'ol boy

and they're certainly alive and well in many institutions.

na kiuhakika ipo hai katika taasisi nyingi.

But to some extent, we all have a network

Lakini kwa kiasi fulani,wote sisi tuna mtandao

of people that we're comfortable with.

wa watu ambao tuko huru kuwa nao katika mtandao huo.

So this question is about your capacity

Hili swali ni kuhusu uwezo wako

to develop relationships with people

wa kukuza mahusiano yako na watu wengine

that are very different than you.

wako tofauti kabisa zaidi yako.

And those differences can be biological,

Na hizo tofauti zinaweza kuwa za kibaiolojia,

physical, functional, political, cultural, socioeconomic.

kimuonekano wa nje,ka utumizi,kisiasa,kitamaduni,kiuchumi.

And yet, despite all these differences,

Na bado,pamoja na hizi tofauti zote,

they connect with you

mnaungana pamoja

and they trust you enough

na wanakuamini vya kutosha

to cooperate with you

kushirikiana na wewe

in achieving a shared goal.

katika kufanikisha lengo lenu la pamoja.

Great leaders understand

Viongozi bora wanaelewa

that having a more diverse network

kwamba kuwa na mtandao wenye tofauti mbalimbali

is a source of pattern identification

ni chanzo cha kupata utofauti wa utambuzi

at greater levels and also of solutions,

katika ngazi za juu na katika kutafuta ufumbuzi,

because you have people that are thinking

kwa sababu una watu ambao wanafikiria

differently than you are.

tofauti na wewe.

Third question: are you courageous enough

Swali la tatu:una moyo vya kutosha

to abandon a practice that has made you successful in the past?

kuacha utaratibu uliokufanya upate mafanikio katika kipindi cha nyuma?

There's an expression: Go along to get along.

Kuna msemo unasema"nenda sambamba ili upate sambamba"

But if you follow this advice,

Kama utafata ushauri huu,

chances are as a leader,

kama kiongozi,inawezekana

you're going to keep doing what's familiar and comfortable.

ukafanya kile unachofahamu kwa uhuru zaidi.

Great leaders dare to be different.

Viongozi bora huwa wanathubutu kuwa tofauti.

They don't just talk about risk-taking,

Hawaongelei kuhusu kupata hatari tu,

they actually do it.

wanazipata pia.

And one of the leaders shared with me the fact that

Moja ya viongozi alianiambia kwamba

the most impactful development comes

maendeleo yenye kishindo huja

when you are able to build the emotional stamina

kama utaweza kutengeneza mhimili imara wa hisia

to withstand people telling you that your new idea

kuvumilia watu wanapokuambia kwamba wazo lako jipya

is naïve or reckless or just plain stupid.

ni la ovyo,lisilo na muelekeo au halina maana kabisa.

Now interestingly, the people who will join you

Cha kuvutia ni hiki, watu wataoungana na wewe

are not your usual suspects in your network.

sio wale wanaodhaniwa katika mtandao wako.

They're often people that think differently

Mara nyingi ni watu wanaofikiri tofauti

and therefore are willing to join you

kwa hivyo wako tayari kuungana na wewe

in taking a courageous leap.

na kusonga mbele kunakohitaji moyo.

And it's a leap, not a step.

ni kuruka zaidi, na sio kupiga hatua.

More than traditional leadership programs,

Zaidi programu ya uongozi uliozoeleka,

answering these three questions

kujibu haya maswali matatu

will determine your effectiveness

kutadhamiria ufanisi wako

as a 21st-century leader.

kama kiongozi wa karne ya 21.

So what makes a great leader in the 21st century?

Kipi kinachotengeneza kiongozi bora wa karne ya 21?

I've met many, and they stand out.

Nimekutana na wengi,na wanasimama vinara.

They are women and men

Ni wanaume kwa wanawake

who are preparing themselves

waliojiandaa

not for the comfortable predictability of yesterday

sio kwa uhuru wa utabiri wa jana

but also for the realities of today

lakini pia kwa uhalisi wa kesho

and all of those unknown possibilities of tomorrow.

na yasiyowezekana yote ya kesho

Thank you.

Asante.

(Applause)

(Makofi)