By Ife J. Ibitayo
Living here in the United States, I honestly scoffed at the concept of a country having both a president and a prime minister. In ignorance, I always saw such “presidents” as glorified figureheads. It wasn’t until Zelenskyy stood up when the rest of the world expected him to fly out–like Afghanistan’s former president Ashraf Ghani–that I realized how wrong I was.
This article is not meant to lionize Zelenskyy at the expense of condemning Ghani. Both leaders were dealt horrible hands, and I still lament the deplorable way the United States concluded the War in Afghanistan. But I hope that by contrasting their divergent responses to the crises they faced, we can learn some valuable lessons about leadership.
Set the Tone
The first words I heard from the Ukrainian president were: “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.” His words touched something deep within me, and rallied the world in support of his beleaguered nation. His statement stands in stark contrast to Ashraf Ghani’s: “Now is not the moment for a long assessment of the events leading up to my departure.”
There are countless differences between the takeover in Afghanistan and the invasion of Ukraine, but one of the most important distinctions is how their presidents responded. A primary reason Ukraine has still not capitulated to Russia’s might is that Zelenskyy hasn’t given up on his nation. His country’s war is his war. Their fight is his fight.
It may seem like that should be a given for any leader, but far too often, leaders take their bag of money and escape down the nearest safety chute. When times get tough for our church, our company, or our country, where are we? As leaders, we set the tone, and those under us follow suit.
Dictate the Terms
Secondly, Zelenskyy did not let others choose his decisions for him. Zelenskyy insisted on staying in Ukraine because he believed his presence during this crisis was more valuable than his safety. Returning to former president Ghani, he told the BBC, “My instructions had been to prepare for departure for [the city of] Khost. [My national security adviser] told me that Khost had fallen and so had Jalalabad. I did not know where we will go. Only when we took off, it became clear that we were leaving [Afghanistan].” But as president of Afghanistan, he had the authority to stay if he insisted.
We choose leaders because at the end of the day, we hope that they will have the courage to make decisions and own up to them, even when their wrong. But when our leaders let others lead them, they are abdicating their duty and relinquishing the authority we entrusted them with in the first place.
Conclusion
The greatest men and women in history were leaders. They steered the course of millions of lives toward glory or the grave through the decisions they made. As we step into leadership in our households, our workplaces, or our governments, we’re faced with the same responsibility and opportunity these leaders faced. I pray we lead well; the future depends on it.
“When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.”
(Luke 12:48)