Actress and film director Juliet Asante has argued that people often confuse positions of authority with leadership, saying the two are not the same.
Sharing her reflections on social media, Asante said a lecture she attended years ago changed how she viewed leadership after a film showed two leaders being celebrated before later being punished for carrying out the very responsibilities they had been given.
“I’ve never forgotten it. Here’s why it haunts me every election cycle,” she wrote.
According to Asante, the experience taught her that leadership begins with communication and should be measured by the ability to inspire people to act willingly in their collective interest rather than by holding public office.
“Usually, we mistake leadership for authority, or people in authority for leaders,” she said.
She argued that people in positions of authority often face competing interests that can make genuine leadership difficult, adding that many end up focusing on remaining in office rather than pursuing significant change.
Asante suggested that some of the country’s most influential leaders may not hold public office, pointing to community groups such as BuzStopBoys and public health educator Yeboah Agyekum Francis as examples of people leading through action.
“Perhaps, if we are looking for leaders, we are looking in the wrong places,” she said.
