Esther Shakela
Leadership is influence. This is the one definition that scholars across the world, such as John C. Maxwell, amongst others, agree on. To lead is to sway those who are led towards the achievement of a common goal. The use of the word “sway” in this context is deliberate because leadership, though often positively used, can be negatively employed. After all, rebel groups, for example, have leaders too.
Despite the fact that influence is not exactly synonymous with loud, the attributes often attached to the accepted brand of effective leadership are charisma and visibility. The louder you are, the better your chances of securing a position of influence. Interestingly, the more ‘seen’ you are, the more effective you are considered to be. Perhaps without meaning to, we have established a precedent that is quite shallow as a benchmark for what strategic and efficient leadership is supposed to be.
Our world today is obsessed with leadership rhetoric. Routinely, through political speeches, corporate manifestos and social movements, the idea of leadership as a solution is often invoked; however, there remains a persistent paradox: despite the unprecedented investment in leadership training, the quality of leadership outcomes is uneven. The shortage we are faced with is not of leaders but of leaders who are aligned.
The responsibility to lead is a serious one that is never without consequences. Although seemingly simple, defining it as influence does not reduce it to a show of prowess in terms of articulation and popularity. The capacity to influence systems rarely depends on mystique; it requires a thorough understanding of complex structures and subsequently, the correct position to influence these structures for outcomes that benefit those who are led. The aforementioned position necessitates alignment.
It can be argued that due to the dominance of charisma and visibility, we now have a leadership crisis nearly everywhere one looks. This is evident in the frustrations of citizens who believed promises made in the most compelling manner by a prospective head of state who, once inaugurated, discovers the limitations of the system employed by his country and indeed, the rest of the world. It equally finds expression in the hiring of executive officers who are later unable to transform organisations and create profit.
This article introduces ALIGN, a conceptual model that repositions leadership not as a position/title or performance but as a disciplined way of seeing and situating oneself within complex systems. ALIGN is articulated through five interrelated disciplines, namely Assess, Locate, Invest, Ground and Navigate, which, when combined, cultivate strategic awareness, credibility and adaptability. The paper argues that leadership development must move beyond motivational paradigms toward cultivating systems literacy as an enduring competency.
Traditional leadership development frameworks tend to valorise action, emphasising initiative and communication, and while these competencies are valuable, they privilege external performance at the expense of internal orientation. They often overlook a more fundamental question: How does a leader understand the system within which they are operating? Without that understanding, action risks becoming misdirected enthusiasm – energetic, however, ineffective.
ALIGN is a concept that seeks to teach leaders how to act within the context of their realities, ensuring that their work is responsive and targeted. It is based on the idea that leadership is a posture, not an act. The use of the word ‘posture’ captures the relational and contextual dimensions of leadership by aligning values to awareness. Just as physical posture determines balance and is encouraged, leadership posture determines sustainability and, dare we say, success.
Understanding leadership as posture offers three intellectual advantages. First, it restores the dimension of contextual intelligence, that is, the leader’s ability to read systems and adapt accordingly. Second, it introduces ethical centring by reminding us that leadership integrity requires constant grounding in values. Third, it legitimises the understanding that sustainable influence often emerges from calibration.
Leadership as posture does not negate competence or charisma. It simply reframes them. Charisma becomes credible when anchored in integrity. Competence becomes strategic when informed by systems understanding.
The ALIGN posture distils five disciplines that define how leaders position themselves within systems. These disciplines – Assess, Locate, Invest, Ground, and Navigate – operate as interdependent practices rather than sequential steps. Together, they nurture leaders who are adaptive.
1. Assess: Understanding the system
Effective leadership begins with observation. You cannot shape what you do not understand. The foundation of your influence is therefore what you understand and possess knowledge of. Every system has its own history, relationships and incentives. Failure to grasp these dynamics results in a detachment from reality and therefore misplaced action.
Assessment requires curiosity and humility. It asks leaders to map the visible and invisible power structures that shape outcomes. This includes identifying formal authorities, informal influencers and institutional constraints. A well-assessed context reveals leverage points where small, informed interventions can yield disproportionate impact.
In practice, assessment manifests through active listening, research, and consultation. It is the opposite of reactive leadership. It replaces the impulse to speak first with the discipline to see first. Systems literacy becomes the foundation for strategic influence.
2. Locate: Defining position and relevance
Having understood the system, a leader must locate themself within it. Location refers to one’s sphere of influence. It is both literal and relational. Leaders who misread their position risk overextending their influence or underestimating their reach.
To locate effectively, one must ask: From where do I lead? What authority or relationships define my space? Locating is not about limiting ambition but about acting from clarity. It enables leaders to recognise allies, anticipate resistance and strengthen their engagement.
3. Invest: Building credibility and capital
Systems reward those who contribute consistently. Influence is not sustained through visibility but through credibility. Investing, in this sense, refers to the deliberate cultivation of trust and expertise. It is the recognition that reputation is a form of capital and that integrity is its interest rate.
To invest is to deliver value before demanding recognition. It means developing mastery in one’s domain, honouring commitments and nurturing professional and interpersonal relationships. In governance contexts, investment manifests as policy literacy, procedural discipline and follow-through. In civic leadership, it means credibility with constituencies and partners.
Investment also entails the ethical management of power. Leaders who invest without integrity eventually erode the very capital they seek to build. The discipline of investment reminds leaders that authority must be earned continually, not presumed.
4. Ground: Anchoring in values and purpose
Grounding safeguards leaders against distraction. In environments defined by competition and external pressure, it is easy for alignment to decay into assimilation. Grounding returns the leader to principle. It reaffirms the “why” beneath the “how”.
A key element in keeping grounded is found through mentorship. It is dangerous to be a leader who is not led and who has no authority to keep you in check.
To be grounded is to have the ability to balance pragmatism with principle and adaptability with conviction.
In leadership development, grounding is fostered through reflection, mentorship and community accountability. It reminds leaders that their credibility depends as much on character as on competence. Systems change is sustained not by the clever but by the consistent.
5. Navigate: Moving with timing and adaptability
Navigation translates posture into motion. It is the discipline of advancing with awareness. Systems are dynamic, and strategies that succeed today may fail tomorrow. Navigation requires leaders to adapt without compromise. This is where flexibility in approach without losing focus on the goal comes in.
In leadership development programmes, ALIGN can serve as a foundational framework for cultivating maturity among emerging leaders. It trains them to interpret systems before trying to influence within them. In governance settings, it equips civil servants and political actors to balance loyalty to institutions with responsiveness to citizens. In corporate environments, it strengthens executives’ capacity to lead through volatility and interdependence.
In African contexts, ALIGN holds particular promise. Many young leaders operate within layered political and socio-economic structures that reward short-term visibility over sustained impact. ALIGN reinforces that working through systems is necessary and that leadership is no easy fix. It is a reminder that systems do not give in to pressure alone and that the best influence within is often from those who possess the knowledge on how to move within them.
*Esther Shakela leads Kyndle by Kelilah, an initiative that designs leadership programmes to build competence, character and sustained impact. As part of her leadership development work, she crafted the ALIGN Posture, a framework that reframes leadership as a discipline of alignment with systems understanding.
For further engagement and programme-related enquiries, contact hello@kelilah.com or reach +264 811 435 987.
