Behavioural trend of reimagining leadership within the post-truth era in Africa: insights from South Africa

Abstract

This article attempts to reimagine leadership within our post-truth era. The concept of ‘leadership’ has developed along with several philosophical and managerial lines since it was first captured in Greek and Biblical historical narratives. Over the years, many scholars have sought to identify the true meaning of leadership, but all of their research on leadership is being challenged in the post-truth era, urged on by social media. I argue that leadership needs to be reimagined, especially in terms of morally good leadership. Leadership is too often seen as a function of skill and good leadership and measured in terms of the capacity to perform at an exceptional level. This makes it a matter of performativity, which means that the historical and philosophical notions of leadership are ignored in the process. This reduces leadership to just another tool in the hands of power-hungry politicians, capitalists, and/or other oppressors. Leadership in the post-truth era can thus easily be redefined as abusive and oppressive. This perpetuates the notion of leadership as domination, and concomitantly as abuse, corruption, and discrimination by leaders. This article will engage with historical philosophical theories on leadership to develop a more sustainable, morally good, and humane definition of leadership that is appropriate for and relevant to our post-truth era.