Talking Blues: Indecisiveness, the kiss of death for President Chakwera
“Indecision and delays are the parents of failure.”- George Canning, British premier, Apr-Aug 1827
I recently stumbled on a fascinating article titled the Anatomy of Military Incompetence. Its thrust is that failure to make any decision is almost as bad as making a poor decision.
Expressed mathematically, indecision = lousy decision.
The author supports this thesis with a whole platoon of hopeless war generals whose indecisiveness caused disaster, grief, and preventable deaths.
Comparing and contrasting what is worse between making a wrong decision and indecision, Maimonides (a medieval Jewish philosopher and codifier of Jewish law) asserts that the risk of a wrong decision is preferable to what he terms the “terror of indecision”.
Exploring the concept further, John McKee offers Yukio Hatoyama (Japan’s Prime Minister, 16 Sept 2009 – 8 June 2010) as a vivid example.
Hatoyama was a superstar politician who quickly lost the plot because of his indecisiveness. He had swept into power with the largest-ever majority in Japan’s recent history.
The son of a prominent and politically connected family, he made a career in politics. He held several important roles. With such a background, expectations were sky-high.
His quick and appalling end is one that McKee compares to a person who wins the lottery only to end up dead broke a few months later.
This premier did not fail because of wrong actions, no.
He broke the Universal Law of Leadership which demands making tough decisions timeously and leading the way forward.
Having come to power with big promises and statements, he created the impression that a new sheriff was coming to town.
Once he was tested and found wanting, he gained a reputation for being “a flip-flopper” on important issues and in no time was branded “indecisive”.
He won it, only to blow it.
Pondering about Hatoyama, his meteoric rise, winning by a majority and coming to power on the back of big promises and powerful statements that created expectations of nothing short of a seismic transformation, I cannot help but see his twin in our own President Dr Lazarus Chakwera.
President Chakwera has, in the past nine months or so, established an unenviable track record of flip-flopping on issues and has successfully built a hard-to-beat reputation for being indecisive.
I will cite some examples.
The first warning was his insistence that despite Covid19, his inauguration would be attended by thousands and would double as an Independence Day celebration at Bingu National Stadium.
He made a U-turn.
He then committed to announcing a Cabinet “no later than 6 July 2020”.
Ostensibly to “…subject the list to another battery of scrutiny to be doubly sure that we are offering Malawians a well-balanced team of high-performing servant leaders who will bring forth the fruits of our Tonse Philosophy…”; he had Malawians wait a little longer.
When the promised “well-balanced team of high-performing servant leaders” was finally announced, it was a disaster. The ensuing public disappointment and disapproval were palpable!
Following public uproar cum protest upon the announcement of what essentially turned out to be a family-affair and campaign founders appeasement cabinet, Chakwera pretended to give the Cabinet ministers five months to deliver or be fired.
That five months expired in December 2020.
During the State House Press Briefing of 29 March 2021, Malawians were informed that the Cabinet would be reshuffled by the end of March 2021.
Malawians are still waiting, reportedly because Chakwera needs more time to digest the assessment prepared by Vice President Saulos Chilima.
Really?
Folks, what do we have here?
Why should anyone take Chakwera at his word now and in future?
Since Chakwera is still around, we cannot just wish him and his indecisiveness away. For the sake of the nation, we must mitigate our woes by helping him in the hope of salvaging something yet.
Johanna Wise’s write-up “Leadership Flaws: Indecision Is A Bad Decision” is something Chakwera would do well to read.
Therein, the author offers tips on how indecisive prisoners like him can free themselves from the indecision prison holding him hostage.
The first logical step is committing to making decisions immediately and repenting the twin sins of seeking and finding pretexts to procrastinate.
General George Patton is a case authority in this regard: “a good solution applied with vigour now is better than a perfect solution applied ten minutes later,” he says.
Secondly, the decision-maker must make binding deadlines and stick a deadline to each delayed decision. “In five months” should mean “in five months”; “end of March” should be “end of March”, etcetera.
The third trick is breaking big decisions into bite-sized pieces.
The fourth and most complex but arguably the most valuable is learning to only pursue high-impact goals. What does this entail?
Chakwera should:
• List and rank the most important goals for this term. Let’s say 20.
• Highlight the top five. Most leaders instinctively invest most resources on Goals 1-5 and less on Goals 6-20. This is okay but problematic where the goals have not been assigned “weights”. Id est, let’s say Goal No. 1 is worth 100x or 1000x more than Goal 6. In this case, it could be argued that Goals 6-20 are next to if not outright inconsequential and hence not worth any resources at all.
• Invest effort and resources in delivering the high-impact Goals 1-5 so well that no one or very few people can complain that low-impact Goals 6-20 have not been achieved.
Should failure happen, Chakwera can learn from Thomas Edison. Describing his 10,000 failed experiments when inventing the incandescent lightbulb, Edison said:
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work!”
His argument was: what makes more sense between trying 10,000 methods and learning along the way, OR sitting “phwii”, worrying or just talking and talking while playing to the gallery?
The answer is obvious: Action. Analysis. Adjust. Then, back to Action and more action.
Still, on the fear of failure, true leaders should, in fact, never allow fear to daunt them.
Was it not Nelson Mandela who said: I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it and that a brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear?
Further, President Chakwera should never forget that indecision is a virus that, when allowed to thrive, wrecks untold havoc, and as one David Joseph Schwartz put it: while action cures fear, indecision and postponement fertilize it.
As per our opening quote, indecision and delays are the parents of failure. If President Chakwera insists on failing, let him go someplace else to fail because here in Malawi, we have no room, not even a square foot, for yet another leadership failure!
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Whe we talk of President, we associate them with a Consultant who gets a job and hit the ground running. No room to learn on the job, otherwise the employer will suck you.
Oooh Malawi …we’re in for something..this man has failed us big tym! Tym to go back to the streets to fight for our country..
If his novice cabinet was vehemently criticized, then he should not hurry to engage another rousy cabinet. Take time to scrutinize Dr. Chilima’s input Dr. Laz. Nobody I mean nobody should rush youMr. President. Do your job with utmost ease. This nameless/faceless writer could be jobless as well …zamkutu kutu za njeee!
We need a commercial break,:
Nyimboyo yake:
Enawo Toto Toto enawo Toto enanu ai.
Tinafuna bambo Chakwera pa mpando waulemuuu enanu ai.
Mukanakhala decisive mukanalemba kuika your true identity osati za chi cigar zi. Zauchigaru..
Solid factual display! Keep the fire lighting!
you can imagine we have three statements so far regards the cabinet. It shows chakwera is clueless. The man does not know what he is doing and he has a very useless and redudant PRO team. Chakwera should be sent to mental hospital for proper assessment because he seems to be displaying signs of mental problems.
look here, we never asked him to change his cabinet. he said himself. and one stupid thing brian Banda comes to say to many incosistent statements
A Ken ndi anthu, tengani na…….!
So far Chakwera is the worst. At some point the goodwill he has garnered will dissapear and the truth will be bare for all to see. The man is incompetent and a show off. Remember even Bakili Muluzi had such goodwill that he would do no wrong even promising people shoes only to laugh in the end. Pano Udf and bakili are in the bin of history. We all call him mbava and allude to all the damage he did. Chakwera should stop showboating and get on with the job
Ife tiri pheee ku ma stand.
I am ashamed on Chakwera’s behalf. I doubt if Chakwera can win if we vote today.
Ukuwuza ndani? We have no time for this.
You mean, you read this beautiful article and disliked it? What an imbecile hand clapper
It may be that my political understanding is too pathetic. I have been following Great Bible Leaders like King David. They were great warriors who protected their countries from Enemies like the Philistines, the Amalekites etc. They did this by fighting the enemy, not by standing on the touch lines. They got their hands dirty. Our enemy in Malawi is poverty empowered by thieves in government and else where. President Chakwera my favourite has articulated our problems so well. Through out the campaign period both him and my genius Chilima, explained very well what we all knew needs to be done. Should it really take this long to deal with the enemy. Or are we now making friends with the enemy. Are we repeating what those DPP dunderheads did. Do we want to throw away all our hopes to the toilet just because we are in power now? And why is Chilima too silent. Can’t both Chakwera and Chilima hold joint conferences and be accountable to us, talk of servant leadership?
It’s just too early to judge these leaders
Less than a month as president and Samia Suluhu has sacked people. Less than a week and Biden was reversing policies. Let’s us not lie that it is too soon. It is a year in 2 months time and we can judge. Moreover they were the ones setting the deadlines e.g I will have reports on ministers in 5 months. Why say it? So yes we can judge
I agree with you. dpp 6 yrs ca 6co cobelaso. anali busy ndi ma personal agenda ndikutukwana innocent citizens.
Give them time.
Opposition mungonola mano kufuna kugaluka.
wina ati ndi his Excellency Malimba mvundula mmadzi ena akumupopa.
Your problem is misplaced faith. Talk is cheap. These 2 guys are great talkers and that’s it
Can someone please tell Brian Banda to read this well meaning artical to the President. This is for his/our good. The President MUST take decisive and unpleasant decisions for the good of the nation.
Nice writeup.. I hope such writing makes its way to plot number 1
Just maybe this finds its way to the top & VP’s desks and eyes for their information.
And there are many other stories, information, etc. that if one gets to see them with a sober mind, s/he may get helped and start doing business unusual.
I just wonder if when we are not inside the political circles of leadership we can argue well & comment on issues, is it that when one gets to those positions stop thinking or let alone leading other people articles that may help inform them…
We are still trusting God Almighty & our current leaders (HE & VP) that they will make meaningful strides as we soldier on in this journey, but please time is of essence…..
Wishing Beloved Malawi Nation & our Leadership the best of health, wisdom, grace, protection, spirit of revelation, uncompromised conscience, high integrity & sucess alongside Mother Malawi
Mapwiya Muulupale, my best writer!
Sometimes indecisiveness is because of stupidity among other things but in the case of chakwera apart from being a half-wit its because he does not know. He does not know anything, he is a confused and directionless pathetic little man.
How about agogo anu aja?
Listen, if you are comparing, we are not. We are looking at what Malawians deserve basi not everyone is politicking. It’s a welfare thing.
Inu Inu, this is a fact, define inflation and give Malawi as an example. Thats a very good example of Chakwera not knowing what he is doing.
Nothing but the truth
The unfortunate thing is that us the stakeholders are playing mere observers when one “Chakwera” is tearing down our habitat. It took money, effort, dedication, love of the country and other resources to put up structures that are carelessly being dismantled by the Tonse Alliance led by Chakwera.
For 9 months there has been nothing he could show apart from empty promises. It took Kamuzu years and years of dictatorial practices and people complied with his ill-treatment because of fear of losing their life and hard earned property, until one day they woke up and said enough was enough. They boldly fought his one party ideology head-on without fear. If Malawians ousted Kamuzu, who is Chakwera to sit on our necks that we shouldn’t breathe like ‘Derek Chauvin did in the US on George Floyd? The person in Chakwera has lost it completely. Instead of taking all of us down together with him, time is now to show him the exit. He made a lot of noise from outside and after being given the reins he is unable to steer the horse. At the rate things are going, shortly the government won’t be able to run. Apa zafika pa “Mwana wakana phala” and no two ways about it. In most cases when you ask God for blessings and He delays, He does that for a purpose. If you insist, he will comply just to test you. Here we are, we insisted to change government, God gave us our wishes to prove us wrong. Proof of the pudding is in the actual eating.
Great article! Our president needs to read this article and try to make timely decisions.
The writer is fit for a mental admission at Zomba. The man is sick. He thinks his piece is erudite it’s stinking a flipflop to borrow his own expression
you dont love our country, you are obsessed. sorry
You are a disgrace, kapena mwina chizungu chakupindani. Did you even read the article?
MAPWIYA. your cry is as well as mine. I cant see the future. we are failing primary maths; how can we solve calculus. Bakili Muluzu was better off. joyce banda wa able to make bad decisions. our current is 0/0.
Not surprised though, the man is captive of Nkaka and chimwendo Banda who decides for him. He is failing to name his cabinet because these people have to veto before it is announced. There are people who spent their money for him to win and they are threatening him not to remove them from cabinet.
Chakwera is worse than APM where indiciveness is concerned. he seem not to believe that he is now the president of Malawi.
You can imagine Chikhosi at OPC has become too powerful and giving contracts willy nilly without any interviews. One stupid recruitment is that Of Bendulo who he has given the position of director in the civil service. How stupid this is where one holds an MCE certificate and he will be boss to people with degrees. What Chikhosi is doing defeats the whole purpose of education. Why should people waste time in class and alll this stupidity is happening under the watch of Chilima who is championing reforms. Chihana was right that this Chikhosi is the one standing in the way of reforms. Soembody who was retired still thinks about the past where people in the civil service were MCE holders. Chiokhosi should know that modern civil service require people with good academic papers.
Do you have the evidence of the appointment of an MSCE holder to a Director position in the Civil Service? If yes, then let’s challenge this appointment in court. Or provide the relevant pieces of evidence/ information to the Ombudsman Marth Chizuma, she will ‘juggle the ruffle’ by God Almighty’s grace & wisdom. Or the HRDC guys, perhaps, CDEDI or YAS just maybe to try salvage the nation, our beloved country….
Why are wasting time with this dude? Let him step down for he has failed to rule this country. Bwana Family Court State President, please step down. Go back to the church and preach the good news of Jesus Christ. The presidency is not your calling.