MOST leadership failure starts with self-praise. The challenge with self-praise, self-aggrandizement and narcissism is that it eliminates the ability to identify problems, accept failures and establish solutions. Before politicians speak, especially those entrusted with leadership at ministerial level, it is often helpful to pause and ask: “Will what I’m about to say reflect the lived reality of the people I represent?” If the answer is “no”, it might be best to refrain. Our Copperbelt Minister, Honourable Elisha Matambo, seems to have failed to make this reflection. The minister shocks even people who have never been to South Africa when he claims that the hospitals in Ndola and Kitwe now compare to those in Johannesburg because of the development that the...