5 Ways Black Youth Can Develop Leadership Skills Using African Teachings:
Leadership is a journey that requires guidance, inspiration, and practical strategies. For Black youth, integrating African teachings can provide a powerful framework for developing leadership skills rooted in cultural pride and historical wisdom. Here are five ways to harness African teachings to cultivate leadership abilities:
1. Embrace the Philosophy of Ubuntu
Ubuntu is a Southern African philosophy that means "I am because we are." The philosophy of Ubuntu provides a powerful framework for understanding human relationships and promoting a more just and compassionate society. By emphasizing interconnectedness, compassion, and shared humanity, Ubuntu inspires individuals and communities to work together towards collective well-being and social harmony.
Action Steps To Achieving Ubuntu:
Engage In Community Service: Take the time to engage in community service projects to experience the power of collective effort with a community. Engaging in community services also builds your leadership skills and experience which hiring managers are often looking for. It’s a win-win situation. Engage in a project that will not only make you feel good but benefit a community while developing skills your competitors may not have build yet in the future employment market.
Seek Out Mentorship: Mentorship creates a cycle of shared knowledge and support with a community. Find individuals who inspire you and have the time to mentor you. It is important to be open and transparent with your mentors. Be a sponge and absorb what they are teaching you and never waste their time. You too can also be a mentor for younger peers. Never sell yourself short, there are many things you can teach them positively on your life experience. No mater if you are a mentor or mentee if is important to be fully present in the process and respect everyone’s time.
Work on Collaborative Projects: As the saying goes, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” Find people with a similar passion as yours and work on group projects that require teamwork and cooperation. Teamwork and developing projects are great experiences to put on your resume and will make you outshine other applicants because it will show what you have leadership, team building and organizational skills (i.e., skills that are often sought out by hiring managers)
2. Learn from Historical Leaders
I’m reminded of the quote by Marcus Garvey. “A people without knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.” Take to time to learn more about Africia and it’s rich history of influential leaders like Nelson Mandela (Anti-apartheid activist, and the first president of South Africa President), Kwame Nkrumah (Prime Minister of the Gold Coast), and Wangari Maathai, (founder of the Green Belt Movement and in 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize). Their lives as well as other Black leaders offer valuable lessons in resilience, vision, and dedication to making change.
Action Steps In Learning More About Historical Leaders:
Explore Biographies and Documentaries: Read or watch documentaries about these leaders to understand their journeys, their struggles and the strategies they used to succeed. An added bonus to this is everything you learn can be used in one of your future school projects giving you a head start in comparison to your other classmates.
Attend Discussions Groups: Join or create study groups to discuss their leadership styles and how to apply their lessons to current challenges. Such groups can be in the form of a book club among like-minded friends. It is always good to seek other’s perspective for this is what great leaders often do.
3. Practice the Art of Oratory
With our ever-changing world relying more on technologies where if we need to learn something, there is an ap or video we can quickly get the answer. While this is convenient we’ve lost our ability to authentically connect with people as we have done thousand years ago. In the time of early humans, we would often sit around a fire telling stories teaching one another about life. African cultures place great importance on oral traditions, storytelling, and public speaking. Developing your oratory skills will enhance your confidence as well as your communication abilities. From a practical real world application, the selling of any product, concept or idea, if done right, stories are what often rooted in story telling which leads to people interested in buying or investing in a product, concept or idea. So why wouldn’t you want to practice the Art of Oratory if it could make you rich.
Action Steps To Improving Your Story Telling Skills:
Spend Time With Your Elders: You’re elders like your parents, you aunts and uncles, and your grandparents have a world of knowledge that can help you succeed but unfortunately, they rarely document it. By having conversations with them about what their lives were like growing up, you’ll learn many new things. Perhaps you could record or write down your discussion with them for your family of future family to share.
Attend Storytelling Circles: Listen and learn how others communicate and see if you can do the same. Study their body language and study the audience reactions to their stories to see if you can eventually do the same.
Join Public Speaking or Debate Clubs: Join Public Speaking clubs or debate clubs to sharpen analytical and rebuttal skills and learn to present ideas persuasively and with confidence. Both these clubs teach you how to think fast on your feet as well as develop your presentation skills. Joining Toast Masters (i.e. and international public speaking club) has really assisted me in moving my career forward. Which just a few months of participating, I became extremely comfortable and confident in presenting my idea and motivational stories to hundreds of people at a give time.
4. Adopt Traditional Values and Ethics
I believe that Kenneth Chenault (Executive chairman of General Catalyst Partners) said it best. “Dedicate yourself to a core set of values. Without them, you will never be able to find personal fulfillment, and you will never be able to lead effectively.” Values such as integrity, respect, and perseverance are central to many African cultures. These values are essential for ethical leadership. To often leaders fall or fail because the lack an internal compass of values and ethics. Ego and wanting to be admired by everyone often take you down a road of defeat and failure. It is important to remember that not everyone will support or like you in life but stand firm on your ethics let it be the foundation to your success.
Action Steps To Honing Your Traditional Values and Ethics:
Identify Values and Ethics That resonate with you: From your studies of great leaders, identify the values and ethics that inspire you. Even discuss with your elders that you admire the values and ethics that made them the person they are today and see if you can incorporate them into your life.
Practice Daily Reflection: Incorporate daily reflections or journaling to assess personal adherence to these values. Be gentle on yourself and identify the times you lived by your ethics and values and when you did not. Remember change take time so don’t be too hard on yourself if you are not living up to your standards. The key is to keep working on yourself and never give up.
Engage in Cultural Immersion: Engage in cultural activities or events to deepen understanding and appreciation of these values. When you experience more of it, it will continue to be a beacon of inspiration to you.
5. Engage in Cultural Arts and Practices:
Too often we do not appreciate our own arts or culture. This is something I struggled with in my early years at times I felt alone and ashamed because too often I was the only Black person in a room of other cultures that looked the same and did not associate with other cultures outside of their own. It was not until I started doing deep work on myself for many years that I started to really appreciate my culture. I’m proud of my West-Indian Canadian culture. Appreciating your own culture, especially in the arts, is crucial for preserving heritage, empowering individuals and communities. It enriches both personal and collective experiences, ensuring that cultural traditions remain vibrant and relevant in the modern world. African arts, music, and rituals often convey powerful messages and life lessons. Participating in these practices can enhance creativity and provide a deeper connection to heritage.
Action Steps To Engaging in Cultural Arts and Practices:
Attend Cultural Events: Attend events on African dance, music, or crafts to develop discipline and expressiveness. It will fill you with a sense of pride as well as connect you with like minded individuals. Don’t believe me, participate in an African drum circle and tell me how you feel a deep connection within. For me I have always felt a sense on connectiveness when I experience such cultural events.
Participate in Cultural and Artistic Leadership Projects: Lead or participate in projects that use art to address community issues or tell important stories. It is about not running away from who we are but embracing and giving back to our community to make a difference.
Overall, by integrating African teachings into leadership development offers Black youth a unique and empowering path to becoming influential leaders. By embracing the philosophy of Ubuntu, learning from historical leaders, practicing oratory, adopting traditional values, and engaging in cultural arts, young leaders can cultivate a well-rounded and culturally rich approach to leadership. These practices not only build essential skills but also foster a strong sense of identity and purpose.
─ By Colin McClean
