Story By: Juliet Akosua Danquah
Renowned global speaker and leadership expert, Rev. Dr. Samuel Adeyemi, has emphasised that true leadership is about stewardship, not ownership.
He believes that legacy leadership involves influencing and serving others, rather than exerting control or power.
He also highlighted the importance of legacy leaders who can balance the pressures of strategic leadership, noting that it involves anticipating problems, interpreting scenarios, and aligning them to impact others.
Dr. Adeyemi shared these insights in a presentation titled ‘Building a Sustainable Leadership Legacy’ on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at the Pentecost Convention Centre, Gomoa Fetteh, during day three of the 13th Jospong Leadership Conference (JLC) 2026, themed “Building Tomorrow’s Leaders Today”.
According to him, legacy leaders ask different questions before arriving at major decisions.
He went on to state that leadership in Africa was under ‘huge pressure’ due to ongoing disruption and widespread poverty and deprivation.
“Leaders in Africa today face a lot of economic pressures and public scrutiny because of the widespread deprivation,” he noted.
He encouraged the leaders at the conference to focus on achieving results with integrity, pointing out that their leadership should be judged not just by the results, but by how those results are achieved.
“The purpose of leadership is to impact the lives of many, to serve humanity, and to hold the position in trust,” he noted.
Dr. Adeyemi stated that while it was okay to be a successful leader, the ultimate goal should be empowering others to succeed. He, therefore, encouraged leaders to focus on lifting others up, rather than just focusing on their own success.
“When you achieve success, you get recognition, awards, but your success should end up empowering and helping other people to succeed,” he indicated.
“Don’t measure your success as a business leader by what you achieve, but by how many lives you’re touching,” he charged.
Against this background, he urged companies to continually renew their culture to positively impact lives.
Though trust is a long-term asset, Dr. Adeyemi lamented that it was low in Africa, which was costing many companies. He added that leaders must be consistent, trustworthy, and fair.
“If you are a leader, emphasise continuity not convenience and build a culture that empowers people, stating also the true leaders show up when there is pressure,” the man of God noted.
He concluded by calling for a new generation of African leaders built on values, trust, and stewardship across all sectors. According to him, leadership impact is not measured by titles, profit, or applause, but by what leaders leave behind and who they empower to lead next.
The JLC 2026 brought together leaders from business, government, faith-based organisations, and civil society to discuss leadership development and sustainable impact in Africa.
