The untold leadership crisis: Without a manifesto, leadership is just guess work!

Last Saturday, at the 6th CEO Breakfast Retreat, I led a group of CEOs from diverse industries, including technology, financial services, oil marketing and services, construction, media, etc. to craft and declare their leadership manifestos for 2025 and beyond. 

I aim to encourage many corporate leaders to declare their leadership manifesto to their teams and other stakeholders before we go to the polls on December 7th.

No one sets out to be a leader. Your manifesto makes you a great leader. That’s why we need a leadership manifesto. Presidents are elected based on their manifesto, and individuals lead and achieve greatness based on their leadership manifesto. 

Leading without a manifesto is akin to a ship without a radar.  As a leader, you owe it to your stakeholders to be transparent about how you intend to engage and the values you commit to live by.

We need more than political leadership to build our society. Just as we require political leaders to share their manifestos before we vote for them, all leaders must share their manifestos. 

As one CEO told me, sometimes, we assume we are in the role and not competing with any other leader, so there is no need to share a manifesto. 

Unfortunately, no! The lack of engagement in many workplaces can be attributed to many managers who have assumed leadership roles without a well-articulated blueprint for their leadership. 

May I encourage you to urge your leaders to offer their leadership manifesto for 2025 and beyond? You are taking a significant risk if you work with a leader without an espoused leadership manifesto, either by word or deed.  

The leadership of Martin Luther King, Wangari Mathai, Nelson Mandela, and Kwame Nkrumah provide us with examples of the power and impact of clearly articulated leadership manifestos. 

A manifesto carries the team's hopes and aspirations and stipulates the change we seek to make. It’s a promise to all our stakeholders of what they can expect of us when we engage with them.

Why should every leader write a manifesto

Investing time and effort in clarifying and articulating a manifesto offers several benefits to leaders. Writing a leadership manifesto:

•    Provide you with a blueprint for your best life. It’s a gift to yourself and a win (literally) when you craft it.

•    Boosts self-esteem as you begin to see your life for all its worth and what you can offer to your world.

•    Give you a new song of significance that you can sing for a long time.

•    Writing helps clarify your aspirations and the resources needed to implement your manifesto.

•    Attract like-minded leaders and other partners to your mission who help to accelerate your impact. 

•    Develop your understanding of the leadership required to make a meaningful impact.

Myths to avoid when writing a Manifesto

•    The Manifesto should be well written. This is not necessary. Fortunately, writing a Manifesto is not an English essay writing competition. 

•    There is no one ideal manifesto. Every leader has got a unique leadership manifesto. Your manifesto has to be your voice.

•    Your manifesto has to be for a lifetime. No! You don’t need one for a lifetime, it can evolve with time.

Truths that should inform your manifesto

•    Remember, you are personally responsible for my leadership manifesto. 

•    Greatness exists when you offer yourself to serve a purpose beyond personal interests. Your manifesto should not be about your achieving your goals. That’s not a manifesto.

The tension in writing a leadership manifesto

Writing a Manifesto can be a daunting and scary experience. The process of writing starts with staring at a blank canvas. In one of the sessions I had with a group of CEOs to write a manifesto, the first observation shared by one of the CEOs was that “Writing a manifesto is hard”. 

By writing a manifesto, you are putting a line in the sand. You need to be clear about what matters to you. 

Sometimes, you may not have clarified what matters to you and your motivation for leadership. Also, your current leadership lifestyle may not represent what you desire in your manifesto. 

This should not prevent you from expressing how you want to embody your best self at work. It will act as a reminder. Your manifesto will serve as a reflection of your leadership and actions. 

A personal manifesto is a document you write for yourself. It’s there whenever you need to remind yourself what you stand for and what you believe in. When you are tested, open it and remind yourself what matters.

Answering these six 

Questions will help you craft a personal leadership manifesto 

1.    What are your aspirations?

2.    What values do you commit to live by?

3.    How would you like to contribute to your organisation and your world?

4.    What’s your growth plan – practices and actions to improve your abilities?

5.    What can your colleagues and teams expect when they engage with you?

6.    How will you keep yourself inspired and energised to pursue your manifesto despite the pressures of leadership?

After writing, you have to act on your manifesto. The first action is to declare the manifesto to your stakeholders and recruit accountability partners who will help you stay on track. 

Decide how often you will meet with yourself to review your progress on achieving your manifesto. Make a promise and stand by your leadership manifesto. 

Your stakeholders will be glad you did.

The writer is a Leadership Development Facilitator, Executive Coach and Strategy Consultant, Founder of the CEO Accelerator Program, and Chief Learning Strategist at TEMPLE Advisory. 

The mission of The Leadership Project is to harvest highly effective leadership practices and share them in a manner that other leaders can easily incorporate into their leadership practice. 

If you have an idea or leadership practice to share, kindly write to [email protected]. Until you read from us again, keep leading…..from leader to leader, one practice at a time.