As we toil to develop a better quality of leader in African organisations it’s good to remind ourselves that this is a global challenge. And it helps to understand that ‘modern’ business habits, driven by rapidly changing social mores, actually make progress harder.

The biggest and most complex police force in Great Britain, the Metropolitan Police, has jost lost its leader in a dispute with her political boss. Her sudden departure has revealed a genuine shortage of suitable leadership candidates. Despite the UK having 45 regional police forces and 3 specialist forces, offering a large universe of experienced senior officers.

The Police Service has come under criticism for its lack of active Talent Development: from selecting suitable recruits, to training them properly and setting behavioural expectations. More importantly, critics say it has failed to identify high-fliers and manage their careers to produce the competences needed for top leadership positions.

This was not always the case. A Police Staff College used to offer leadership courses for middle to senior ranking officers. Participants were exposed to a range of views from leaders in all walks of life. Leadership in the round was actively discussed. But in the 1990’s the college declared that management skills would be prioritised, as leadership was “divisive and elitist”. In the 2010’s the college was closed and ‘replaced’ by a network of Police and Crime commissioners – non-police individuals elected with a remit to ‘improve accountability’. Managerialism has been the order of the day ever since. So it’s not surprising that top Police officers are masters of procedure but struggle to inspire superior performance in the officers they manage.

Now consider the world of business. One of our most aspirational qualifications is the MBA – Masters in Business Administration (not leadership). It originated as a Bachelor’s  Degree in Finance at Wharton Business School in Pennsylvania, America in the 1880’s. Then it was developed into a Master of Science in Commerce Degree by Tuck School of Business, also in America, with the intention of establishing ‘training commensurate with the larger meaning of business.’ Fast forward another century and nowadays this general management qualification has become ever more specific – with specialisations of every colour from Human Resources to Operations to Marketing. There’s even a version called a Leadership MBA – which raises questions about the nature of leadership development offered by all the others.

Even in politics, that most public of activities, capabilities are widely scattered across the leadership-to-management spectrum. Many countries have witnessed the see-saw effect that happens when a ‘dull but worthy’ managerial premier creates demand for a more exciting successor at the next election.

Remember: managers are important but leaders are essential.