A study of bridging leadership in the Lesotho produced in cooperation with the Leadership Regional Network (LeaRN). It examines bridging leadership among business, civil society, and regional government sectors.
This case follows the path taken by Kali Charles Thaanyane as he built partnerships between business and civil society to address poverty and target an inadequate education sector. Born in 1955 in the small village of Mahlanyeng in the hills near Maseru, the capital of the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho, Kali Charles, like so many of his neighbors, inherited both poverty and an uncertain future. But he was also brought up with a strong sense of family, responsibility and purpose. From the late 1980's to the present day, Kali Charles has worked tirelessly to mediate between the interests of various stakeholders in a search for sufficient common ground and a foundation upon which to build working partnerships between business and community organizations. These partnerships seek to improve quality of life and create social change, while uniting those separated by racial and ethnic divides. Obviously, the road to partnership is littered with obstacles and challenges. Particularly disheartening for Kali Charles were the negative mindsets he encountered among officials of the regional and national government agencies. Nevertheless, the case exemplifies how positive cultural values can create and sustain the social energy required for collaboration.
Bridging leadership is a style of leadership that focuses on creating and sustaining effective working relationships among key partners and stakeholders. By "bridging" different perspectives and opinions often found across the breadth of different stakeholders, a common agenda can begin to be developed and shared in order to solve social and economic problems.
The study was reworked by Arlette Franks and edited by Steven D. Pierce.