By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Former President of Liberia, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says humility is a hallmark of every great leader.
According to Madam Johnson Sirleaf, growing up, her mother first and foremost, and many other women that were friends of her mother taught her to have humility.
She explained that apart from learning to be humble, she was also encouraged to make sure that she had the best education and that is what “helped me throughout my leadership journey.
Madam Johnson Sirleaf made this assertion in an interview on an Accra-based Citi FM.
When asked whether she got any mentors on her journey to top leadership, Madam Johnson Sirleaf, answered in the affirmative saying “When I look beyond my family setting, strong women that have taken positions in their societies would have mentored me directly by reading about them and learning about their journey.
“I want to come back to say I did get some mentorship examples in my country. We had Chief Suah Koko who was the first to open up the country for foreign investment. We had the head of our university for Liberia who was a great example in educational work in West Africa. We had a judge who took positions promoting the progressives, matching with them on the streets calling for democracy. Some of them, I did have an opportunity to interact and work with them.”
“However, mentorship may come from within your own internal environment, that mentorship may come from a wide sphere of influence and mentorship may come from those who are far away from you whose example you use and so that is very critical to supporting what goes on in the leadership journey” Madam Johnson Sirleaf.
According to her, it is very important that all women have the opportunity to education and that is the basis for understanding and knowledge you need that to path your own way to your goals and this is why when you find many of our children in Africa that are out of school for whatever reason, it is something we must put attention on and find where resources have been spent educating people, those countries tend to succeed much better in promoting their development goals.
