By Ishmael Dumbuya
On Sunday, July 21st , President Joe Biden posted on his social media handles that he was stepping down from the presidential race slated for November, and nominated US vice President, Kamala Harris as Democrats presidential candidate.
Even though there were speculations regarding Biden’s mental uprightness, but his decision to quit sent a very strong message to leaders across the world, particularly those of Africans, who in whatever condition they may be,are ready to continue their leadership.
Now let’s look at some of the lessons learnt by African leaders, who are passionate about extending their tenure, regardless of their poor mental health, corruption etc. It’s a sad end to an impressive political career, one that allows him to help shape his nation. It must have been a wrenching decision to make and it’s sad news for those who admire Biden.
Biden’s decision to quit the race is an unforgettable example of leadership, wisdom, and courage. Every leader should pay attention. The time may come when you’re faced with a similar decision, when you’re forced to choose between what you long to do, what your heart tells you to do, and what you know is right for your organization and your team.
Despite the recent lapses on the first presidential debate, I believe the US would have been in good hands with him at the helm for another four years. About those lapses, I think all of us that do not want to admit how much of ourselves that smart, good-hearted people can lose as we age. When Biden, who’d been harried by nagging accusations of plagiarism.
This time, there’s no future campaign in sight for the 81-year-old president. Watching this formidably intelligent man go blank and lose his train of thought while hundreds of cameras were trained on him is a stark reminder to us all. Our working lives are always finite, because the day will come when we are no longer able to perform them, or at least perform them as well as we would want.
And when that day comes, it will take a great deal of emotional intelligence and courage to make the choice that Biden has now made.
In passing his support to Harris, he’s also done something every company leader also must do: Choose a successor in the event that you are not able to continue in your role. It’s something Donald Trump has also finally done–perhaps pondering his mortality after an assassination attempt–by choosing J.D. Vance as his running mate.
Nine years ago, when Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers were dropping, some leaders among the Democrats urged then-vice president Biden to join the race. He mulled the question. “Nobody has a right, in my view, to seek that office unless they’re willing to give it 110 percent of who they are,” he said.
Biden has given 110 percent of who he is to the job for the past four years, and while he’s willing to do that for another four, he’s also recognized the reality that he now has less to give. So instead he’s given 110 percent by searching his heart, bravely facing his reality, and doing what he knows is right.
Biden’s action sent a very strong message to African leaders who mostly want to die in power, and unaccountable to citizens. African leaders should now have the guts to step down anytime citizens’ think it’s enough, in order to protect their reputations. It’s the people that elected them, and anytime they are fed up with the system, it’s their right to voice it out and call for a fresh election, or possibly, to resign.