One of the most important qualities of a leader is empathy - the ability to understand and identify with the experiences , challenges and emotions of others . Leaders who have never had to struggle themselves may have di culty understanding the trials and di culties faced by the people . As a result , they are less inclined to respond to the needs and concerns of their people with the necessary sensitivity and understanding . In recent years , some of our colleagues have been talking about the emergence of strongmen in politics , taking as examples the Chinese and Russian presidents , Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin , or the plethora of coups d ' état in Africa , which seem to be giving birth to strongmen everywhere . It is logical , to comprehend , as political scientists maintain , that the mismanagement of democracy always leads to authoritarianism , which intervenes to restore order to the cacophony or ine ectiveness of the political scene . But we need to think further . The strongmen of 2023 , are first and foremost , populists in the best sense of the term , since they often enjoy the support of the people , thanks to their government ' s fine performance in the economic sector , or in defending the territory . In Africa , for example , the people are ready to bring to power any leader who takes strong action to rid them of Western neo-colonialism .
In a perverse way , true democracy seems to take on its most laudatory finery in authoritarian regimes , which despite everything enjoy the greatest popular support of most of the world ' s citizens these days . If the answer to the question of this phenomenon lies in what was explained in the paragraph above , namely e ciency in responding to people ' s aspirations , we also need to ask why some are more successful in power than others ?
Leaders like Chinese Communist Party First Secretary Xi Jinping , or Russian President Vladimir Putin , are undeniably people who have lived among the people before holding the highest o ce in their respective countries , either by ideology as in communism , or by simple destiny . They also benefit from a broader perspective , having been confronted with the challenges of the ordinary people . They can therefore see the big picture , enabling them to make informed decisions or anticipate potential problems , because they have had the opportunity to learn by overcoming adversity , at some point in their lives .
Flashmag ! Issue 143 August 2023
15