THERE is a distinction between the terms leader and leadership, with the latter requiring the former and not vice versa.
A leader is usually seen as someone who commands an agenda, whether it is personal or collective. Followers tend to flock to a leader and be inspired by the leader's characteristics and attributes.
Leadership on the other hand, is the key for a leader to motivate and influence his or her followers to accomplish an agenda.
A good well-thought agenda is an output of a competent leader who is equipped with moral principles and values. An agenda of a good leader is usually driven to serve and transform a community. Unbiased decisions towards implementing any agenda are guided by principle, justice and wisdom.
Unfortunately, this is an ideal. History has proven that agendas are not necessarily good in nature.
The world is undersupplied with good leaders with the right vision and values.
In different parts of the world, not too far from Malaysia, we see a leader turned dictator. In an unexpected turn of events, the dictator managed to mobilise his followers and accomplished his mission by coup d'etat, ousting a controversial former Nobel Peace Prize winner.
The laureate, who has compromised her principles of fighting for human rights, was consumed by the tiger (read: the military) she chose to ride in the campaign to extinguish the voice of the Rohingya.
Along a dictator's path to victory, many innocent lives were swept away, leaving a trail of destruction. These leaders, whose leadership is corrupted, simply dismissed the massive destruction as "collateral damage" when we all know it was a loss of humanity.
The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) roadmap has been centred around humanising education. It is in moments like this when humanising leadership must come into play at every quarter to end the disarray and discord happening around the world. Prioritising humanity before everything else can only come naturally with the correct mindset and values in a leader's heart.
On Nov 23 and 24, IIUM together with Akademi Kepimpinan Pendidikan Tinggi (AKEPT) organised an international webinar with some great minds to discuss humanising leadership.
The fireside conversation with the Indonesian Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim was the highlight of the 1½ day webinar, given his many successes, including being the youngest minister in the history of Indonesia.
During his session, the 37-year-old minister spoke of the need to have leaders who believe in change and have the courage to make changes. By the end of the webinar, it was apparent that one cannot deny the role of leaders in shaping the fate of their societies.
The webinar reiterates the importance of leaders with cultural intelligence to gain respect and confidence of others, especially in a multicultural society, as commended in the Quran and the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.
Empathic leaders, whose ideals stand firm on the principles of inclusivity, are also essential in building trust and loyalty among their followers, who would work diligently and willingly in fulfilling the leaders' agendas.
Empowerment, on the other hand, must be at the centre of the development process.
As a member of an academic institution, I believe that we could always cultivate leadership with the right values in any individual given the right education system.
Some would say that this sounds cliché, but the academician in me believes that an everlasting gift to the future generation is to provide a better education pathway that re-looks the purpose of education.
Some would argue that such transformation in the education system is only possible with good leaders and that good leaders should come first. Unfortunately for us, time is not on our side to debate on which should come first.
Wise and courageous leaders from the ministry, policymakers, higher educational providers, and schools must step up and play an immediate corrective role despite the many differences. This all must be done with the intention of fulfilling the National Education Philosophy.
The writer is a senior lecturer, at IIUM, and director of the International Webinar on Humanising Leadership