Evolving events in the recent past have strengthened my wrist to mate quill and parchment. After all, “disuse numbs the wrist”, as Lawrence Darmani philosophically affirmed in The Scribbler’s Dream. The poet suggested that constantly practising one’s craft is a sure way to stay relevant in any field.
Until December 2023, I was a columnist, serving readers with opinions on current issues. My opinions, in the form of articles, were published on Ghanaweb and sometimes in the Daily Graphic. But why the long hiatus? Well, let me say I am back. I have returned to writing duties to perfect my art, and to lend credence to Darmani’s poetic statement.
Oh, was that long introduction necessary? Why not jump straight to link the title of this article to the termination of Dr Akuffo Dampare’s appointment? His appointment was terminated at will by the president of Ghana, Mr. John Dramani Mahama. This is trite; it bears no repeating. The foremost and 23rd inspector general of police was not sacked or dismissed. I am an HR practitioner, so I understand the intricacies of recruitment and retention and, even more clearly, the distinction between termination and dismissal. From what I have read, he was not dismissed as an IGP.
This honourable (you may disagree with my description of him as honourable) IGP has been vocally battered after his termination. As they say, ‘videos don’t lie.’ In a video I watched on Facebook, some people, believed to be police officers who ought to work with whoever is appointed IGP, were seen jumping, rolling, and tossing arms, ostensibly celebrating Dr Dampare’s exit!
I cannot pass judgment; I won’t say what they did was fair. And I can’t say it was not fair, either. There are many wise Ghanaians who may be able to pass a verdict on the conduct of those men and women in uniform at that moment. Do you remember the lyrics in Paa Bobo’s AsꜪm mmpꜪ nnipa song? What message did the mother tortoise pass to her young when the hunter smothered them in an old sack, intending to seek the chief’s honour and approval of the village volks?
“Mpanin wↄ fie”, she said.
I am a qualitative researcher. It is widely acknowledged that qualitative researchers make meaning from texts, images, and videos. We wear our epistemic and ontological guards, studying reality by interpreting what we read, see, or watch with a certain philosophical lens.
In this article, I interpret the name-calling, verbal vituperations, and unmasked innuendos targeted at the person of the former IGP from my understanding of organisational leadership or management within the Ghanaian context. I think I am qualified to talk about organisational leadership as I have lived experiences, having worked in leadership in five different private and public organisations in three regions in Ghana. This sample is small but large enough to make extrapolations.
In most organisations in Ghana, good managers, bosses, or leaders are the easy-going ones. These easy-going team leaders immediately attract love and congeniality from the team they lead. I call them the “People’s Bosses”. The people’s bosses’ preoccupation is to save face at the expense of structures or policies. They want to be inwardly and outwardly pleasing to all employees.
“Hello, boss, it’s threatening to rain so I may not come to work, or I may be late”. “My umbrella is weak; no taxis are passing.” The people’s boss responds, “Oh yeah, yeah, that’s fine. No problem”. He would not engage in any critical discussions, lest he courts disaffection.
“Boss, my mother’s sister’s aunt’s church member is at the hospital, so I will be late”, the same employee calls the “People’s Boss” the next day.
“Don’t worry, it’s important. Just make sure you come to work after the visit. Greet her for me and buy me koko and koose when you are returning.”
“What a good boss. Ahh, he understands things”. He is not kyenkyenee. Lol!
Then comes another “bad, wicked leader” whose vision is to steer his team to deliver or even exceed expectations, directing teams, and ensuring that company policies are strictly obeyed. The word ‘strict’ is what makes these bosses bad. I am one of them, anyway. The bad boss says, “Twenty minutes late every day is not normal”. Can we improve on our punctuality, please”?
“Too much traffic in town, boss. The overpass in Lapaz is uncharitably traffic-dazed” (I don’t even understand these words).
The bad leader ‘inhumanely’ responds, “Yes, this situation, hmmm. My route is worse, so I now wake up earlier than usual because I don’t want to be late”.
Do you get the drift, reader? I mean, do you get the satiric cue in the flow of communication between employees and the two characterised leaders? I hope so. When his disciples asked why he was always speaking in parables, Jesus said, “…Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them”. (Matthew 13:11, NIV)
Dr Dampare suffered from his own men and women because he was a bad leader, insisting on standards. “Are you the only IGP?” They quizzed.
“He is too strict. We can’t hold black polyethylene and walk about in town, why?” “We must make sure our uniforms are neatly worn all the time. Aaaba! He is too overbearing.”
“He’s promoting his people, a corrupt man. We want to enter College; let us enter, regardless of circumstances. “My friend, my friend, rank is like blood in the police service, give it to us, hey, hey!”
“You are streamlining and centralizing communication. Why? No degree of freedom, why?”
Bad leader IGP: “We are all citizens and must have equal access to the roads which are constructed with our taxes and resources. We can’t pretend to be Napoleon in George Orwell’s satirical piece, Animal Farm. So, I say, here and now, all road users must comply with road traffic regulations. No unfettered access by a group of people: pastors, lawyers, MPs, ministers”.
“If you misbehave as a man of God, I will rely on the laws of Ghana to bring you to book”.
Those who felt the IGP was becoming a threat to “freedom” used Squealer (in Animal Farm) to spread hate and disinformation. Soon, the tactics caught on. The “bad leader” has fallen at the sword of unprincipled sapiens. Immeasurably disenchanting!
Dear reader, let’s connect back to the organisational leadership scenario I created in the early sections of this piece. As a Human Resource Manager, I was tagged ‘too knowing’ for ensuring strict compliance with policies and procedures that the employees themselves swore to abide by. I was seen as an old-school authoritarian leader who enforces rules, sets expectations, and holds employees accountable.
There were other team leaders, the people’s bosses, who were deemed visionary and understanding. Such bosses say, “Oh but true leadership is bout swearing heaven and earth to keep employees comfortable. Ah, employees must feel the workplace is a resort, for relaxation, no pressure. They can’t kill themselves”.
“Nice, nice boss. He understands human beings! What a good boss!”
The People’s Bosses make their organisations flourish—not in performance or innovation, but in morale. Employees are always smiling, not because they are excelling, but because they know that no matter what they do (or don’t do), they will always be in the good books of their bosses. After all, the people’s bosses understand people.
Missed deadlines? No problem! “You tried your best, and that’s what matters.”
Lack of commitment? That’s just a sign of work-life balance!
Obvious incompetence? Ah, but who are we to judge? Everyone has strengths; perhaps lateness and inefficiency are just hidden talents waiting for the right moment to shine.
Conflict resolution is another area where the People’s Boss truly excels. Instead of addressing workplace disputes with clear directives, he employs his signature technique: neutrality wrapped in excessive politeness. If two employees are at war, he nods at both sides, reassures them that “everything will be fine,” and then swiftly exits the scene before any real decisions must be made.
Discipline is an outdated concept in his world. After all, punishing an employee might make them unhappy, and we cannot have that! A leader’s legacy, in his eyes, is not measured by the results achieved but by how well he is liked. “He was a kind man,” they will say at his farewell party, conveniently ignoring the organization’s steady decline into mediocrity.
And so, the People’s Boss retires one day, leaving behind a workforce skilled in excuse-making, unbothered by deadlines, and perfectly clever at avoiding responsibility. His legacy? A generation of employees trained to expect leadership without consequence, accountability without discipline, and success without effort.
But, dear reader, it’s not like that in the Western world. There are only few-to- no People’s Bosses in many overseas countries, including the UK where I live. Can I say they don’t exist here in the UK? There are only “bad leaders” in advanced countries where most Ghanaian workers would love to live and work.
Dr Dampare, the IGP, lost the battle because he was a “bad leader”. If he wanted to prolong his stay as an IGP, it would have been ideal for him to wrap himself in the garment of the People’s Boss. In any case, most local companies and government agencies have such bosses in charge of leadership.
Have you wondered why Indian, Syrian, Chinese, and other foreigner-owned enterprises, by knowledge, flourish? It is because they have “bad leaders” championing affairs.
Me si ha kyia wo pii.
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