40+ days of lockdown, and many things have changed. Nothing is guaranteed or safe. News of the economic downfall keeps coming every day from every part of the world. Our own pride of Mauritius, our national airline has been put into voluntary administration. Things look gloom and doom. Is there hope?
Citizens of Mauritius and friends of the world – there is HOPE! In fact, this is all we have! Hope is not just a word, it is a mantra. The dictionary defines hope as the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. Hope is looking at the future with positivity, with belief, with faith, with….hope.
You may be asking me why there is still hope? It is a good question. The answer can be many, but I will give you one, one that I believe makes a lot of sense in the crisis and chaos that catching the momentum. The answer is simply because we are human beings and we have the capacity to think! Thinking is Power. We are the only one species who have been gifted with the power of thought. Thoughts become things. And if we dwell on this power, and if we cultivate this capacity, and if we nurture this potential of our mind – we will get through, our hope will vindicate, our lives will change for the better. This capacity to thrive through hope and think our way to solutions rather than dwell on the problems is what we call leadership – the power to take our own self to another level of capability, the power to become our better version, the power to redefine or re-invent ourselves, each one of us.
Leadership is not defined as the power to control and abuse. My Mentor, Dr John C. Maxwell defines leadership as ‘Influence, nothing more, nothing less’. Influence – what a beautiful word! By dictionary definition, it means ‘influence may apply to a force exercised and received consciously or unconsciously’. Powerful definition. That means that ‘influence’ can be positive and negative. It can be forced, or it can voluntary. If you have always believed that ‘leadership’ meant ‘positive capacity to convince other people to follow, you may be wrong because ‘leadership’ can be positive or negative. It can be constructive or manipulative. It can perceptive or deceptive. It can be Mahatma Gandhi or it can be Hitler.
But what we are concerned here, what we want to talk here, is ‘good’ leadership, the kind of leadership that inspires confidence in other people and moves them to action. We are talking about leadership that is transparent and constructive, that is assembling and productive, that is life changing and innovative. We are talking about servanthood leadership, the kind of leadership that think about and thrive for others, not the one that aims at self-glory and self-power. We are referring here to the Mandelas, the Gandhis, the Mother Theresas….the Fords, the Carnegies, the Edisons….the ones who thought and thrived for others, rather than for themselves. These people are also called Entrepreneurs!
Mike Michalowicz, in one of his best-selling books, said that ‘Entrepreneurs will save the world’. This cannot be more true in today’s world stricken by the pandemic of the corona virus. Where big corporates like Air Mauritius is failing, and many bigger ones around the world are too, it is being hoped that Entrepreneurs are the ultimate solution to restore the world to its previous state, not to say to a better one. But why? Why Entrepreneurs will save the world? How are they going to save the world? What is the magic solution they are going to bring?
Entrepreneurs are dreamers, but dreamers who bring their dream to fruition. The world has been built by the idea generators, the dreamers and the doers, called Entrepreneurs, and will continue to be so. But in today’s world, there is another brand of Entrepreneurs who are making the difference! The Small and Medium Entrepreneurs! In Mauritius, out of 555,000 employees, the SMEs employs more than 325,000, out of which, the small and micro enterprises employ 275,000. What does that mean? That the small and micro enterprises that employs on average 1-3 people per enterprise, employs about 50% of the entire workforce in Mauritius! This is HUGE!
So, when we see big corporates are falling due to the pandemic, the eyes are turned on to the micro and small entrepreneurs – they are the ones to save the world, truly! But is there a revolution coming to ensure more and more people turn to entrepreneurship in this chaotic situation? How do we make sure that Entrepreneurship is given the place, focus and the right it deserves to turn it into the magic pill the world is looking for? How do we do this in Mauritius? What is needed to give Entrepreneurship the energy and resources required to make it the alternative the world will be looking to re-build itself from the ashes of the covid19 pandemic?
Well, I will ‘see’ you next week to continue this analysis.
