When thinking about leadership, you can download 31 African Proverbs for Leaders, and we hope you find these proverbs helpful.
- A canoe does not know who the leader is. When it turns over, everyone gets wet. (-Madagascar)
- A good leader was once a good follower. (-Africa)
- A great leader is an ordinary person with extraordinary wisdom. (-Malawi)
- A large chair does not make a king. (-Sudan)
- A leader does not listen to rumors (-Ghana)
- A leader who does not take advice is not a leader. (-Kenya)
- A leader who understands proverbs reconciles difficulties. (-Nigeria)
- Do not forget what it is to be a sailor when you become a captain yourself. (-Tanzania)
- Ears that do not listen to advice, accompany the head when it is chopped off. (-Africa)
- Good behavior must start from the top. (-South Africa)
- He who dictates separates himself from others. (-Somalia)
- He who refuses to obey cannot command. (-Kenya)
- He who thinks he is leading and has no one following him is only taking a walk. (-Malawi)
- If you are kicked from behind, it means you are in front. (-Africa)
- If you can’t resolve your problems in peace, you can’t solve them with war. (-Somalia)
- Much talking does not make you a leader. (-Uganda)
- Prefer the leader who comes to you. (-Uganda)
- The poorest person in the world is not the one without money but one without vision. (-Ghana)
- Threats and insults never rule a country. (-Zambia)
- Two leaders do not fight in one house. (-Uganda)
- When a king has good counselors, his reign is peaceful. (-Ghana)
- When there is peace in the country, the chief does not carry a shield. (-Uganda)
- Without a leader, black ants are confused. (-Uganda)
- You don’t know a good manager till a bad manager come. (-Guyana)
For more African proverbs on leadership, please see 31 African Proverbs for Leaders, or browse Lifelines: The Black Book of Proverbs.