Daily Times

You can be a CEO and still not be a leader. You can be a Chairman but not a leader. You can be a Prime minister and still not be a leader.

On the other hand, you can be a volunteer and also be a leader. You can be a worker and also be a leader. You can be an ordinary person and still be a leader. The main difference between these two categories of leadership haves and have-nots is “trust.” Leaders become leaders when a large number of people follow them. If these followers follow them because they “have to” as, in the case of an organization where people are bound to listen and follow their top guys, that is not sustainable leadership. If the people in the organization are just following them because they have to, they will stop following them as soon as they leave the organization. Such leaders lack the all-important X factor of trust to keep their followers engaged even when they are not there.

To be able to raise Rs 500 crores in a matter of a couple of hours is a living example of how trust distinguishes leadership.

To be able to raise Rs 500 crores in a matter of a couple of hours is a living example of how trust distinguishes leadership by position from leadership by trust. The prime minister of the country is constantly making appeals for flood affectees and has a relief fund for people to contribute to. The army has also introduced a relief fund where money is flowing in. However, the money flowing in may be comprised of compulsory donations from workers. For example, in government funds, one month’s salaries of members of the national assembly have been deducted and transferred. Similarly, army officers’ salaries and government officers’ salaries will also be deducted for flood relief donations. These will make decent amounts but nothing compared to the Rs 500 crore generated from all over the world in a couple of hours. Again what sets apart the two is trust. Thus, leadership based on position is for the position till the position and not the person having that position. The formal authority of the position of Prime minister or the Chief of Army Staff allows them to announce compulsory salary deductions of parliamentarians and officers respectively. But raises the question about whether someone like Shehbaz Sharif or Qamar Javed Bajwa, when not in a position, can raise 500 crores in a couple of hours. Let us look at the components of trust that a leader has that make him rise above positions and ranks:

1. Personal Credibility of the Person- Leaders like Nelson Mandela and Quaid e Azam had no formal authority of positions in the government for a long time but had the informal authority of their credibility that made people follow them. Quaid e Azam had an unblemished reputation of being a man of principles. This reputation earned him the trust and respect of his followers. Quaid was making a speech in Urdu and took permission to speak in English, while an illiterate person in the crowd kept applauding him regardless. When asked by others whether that person understood English, he replied “it does not matter, whatever he is saying is correct.” This is the level of trust that makes a person lead and inspire. Similarly, Nelson Mandela’s credibility was still so high that when he was not the President in 2010 he went to pitch South Africa in FIFA World Cup. The selection board could not refuse him despite South Africa having many question marks on eligibility. It was Mandela’s credibility rather than South Africa’s credibility that became the deciding factor.

2. Track Record of the Leader- Trust is not just based on reputation but the past track record of the leader. Does the record show that this person will fulfil his or her commitments? Does the past track record show that this person will deliver on his or her promises? The answer to these questions reveals the level of trust people are ready to put in the leader. In Imran Khan’s case, he has a track record of delivering. Shaukat Khanum is an example where every year people donate tens of billions of rupees to the two hospitals in Lahore and Peshwar, while the third in Karachi is on its way to completion. In contrast to that, the Sharif family has a chequered track record. When they came in the 90s, they announced the National Debt Retirement Fund and asked people to donate to pay off Pakistan’s debt. Just compare the track record of the two fundraisings. While Shaukat Khanum is now the only world standard facility providing free cancer treatment to 70% of its patients, the National Debt Retirement Fund turned out to be a big scam. In 1997, the Qarz Utaro Mulk Sanwaro scheme was launched by Nawaz Sharif to pay off debt. The scheme turned into a scam and no accountability happened for the funds that were sent by the overseas and local Pakistanis.

3. Personal Interest Vs National Interest-Another factor that makes or breaks trust is whether the leader’s behaviour exhibits selfishness or selflessness. All leaders say that they will keep the national interest above personal interest but most do otherwise. When there is a contradiction between what you say and what you do, it becomes a big trust breaker. Imran Khan has led by example. He has sacrificed his luxurious life, his family and his assets abroad to be working for the people of Pakistan. On the other hand, when the Sharif family talks about serving Pakistan, their deeds do not support it. Their assets and investments are based in the UK. Every time they are out of the government, they are trying to pack and leave Pakistan. The main interest of Shehbaz Sharif is to get his son to be the chief minister of Punjab while Nawaz Sharif is trying desperately to install Maryam Nawaz as the next-line leader. These factors show a complete self-focus and greatly undermine the trust people have in them.

System based on Transparency and Accountability-The fourth element of trust is not just good words and actions but a system that ensures that funds raised do not go missing or in the wrong causes. The 500 crores raised are not just going to be given to provincial governments but are being placed under the best practice model of the Ehsas program under the able guidance of Dr Sania Nashtar. This model was used during Corona to disperse Rs 260 billion to the needy. This was done through meticulous planning and technology and not even a single rupee went astray. This model was studied by Stanford University and recognized as one of the best anti-poverty reduction models. The report openly claimed that “In particular, we point to the importance of good leadership, building strong institutions, effectively using data and technology, and of using an integrated, inclusive approach to anti-poverty by the Ehsas program.” On the other hand, the Benazir Income Program model was under many scams including almost eight hundred thousand non-deserving people in the system. Its original head Farzana Raja has a NAB case on her for Rs 100 crore disappearing from the BISP funds.

Trust is the major factor in defining or declining leadership. Trust is the main glue that binds followers to leaders. Trust is the main multiplier to raising funds. Trust is the core of all leadership traits. This is further proven by this one question. Why does Pakistan have the lowest tax-to-GDP ratio in the world but have one of the highest per capita charity giving ratios in the world? The answer is trust. They do not give to the government because they feel it will go into fattening the personal bank accounts of the politicians. While they donate to the charities of their own choice whom they trust. The problem with most leaders is that they base their leadership on position, rank, power, and resources. Such leadership is thus transitory. The problem is that trust cannot be bought, purchased, manufactured or produced. It can only be earned. Earned through a combination of proven character and competence. When it is based on these two factors it rises above position, rank and seat. Trust cannot be ordered as you cannot force people to trust and follow you. Famous author Stephen Covey said, “Maybe you can buy somebody’s hand and body, but you cannot buy somebody’s heart and mind, that can only be volunteered.”

The writer is a columnist, consultant, coach, and an analyst and can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail,com. She tweets at @AndleebAbbas.