ESTONIA, WHY WOULD YOU NEED A LEADER?

In the 1990s, the active people in Estonia had an unprecedented urge to achieve something, to get somewhere, to earn something – mainly money, and a lot of it. Today, Tallinn is without a mayor and the new young political leaders fail to engage and convince. Everything has been turned upside down. But we are satisfied with it. Because if we wouldn’t, we would have to do something about it as a society. But we won’t. We complain and gloat, but we won’t act. But should we?

If we are complaining and gloating, then we should act. If we are not, then we shouldn’t. On the one hand, there is not much a single person can change in the society or in politics. What can a diligent member of the Riigikogu change in four years? He or she can attend meetings and sittings, press the button, and enjoy the night sittings which are surely healthier than a night club, but fail to produce results nevertheless. 

On the other hand, Brexit and Donald Trump combined have been enough of an experience to understand – without an influential and reasonable leader, the paradigm of good reason may change overnight in domestic politics as well. What we considered reasonable yesterday, may not seem so today.

Estonia has always been guided by the U.S. as “our main ally”, as politicians confirm. One should ask now: “Where is the Donald Trump of Estonia?” Trump is the representation of our main ally.

A change in the leader of a company changes the entire culture of a company.

The U.S. culture is sure to change to some extent. When Lenin and then Stalin came to power after the collapse of the Tsarist Russia, they left the earlier organisation of the society in ruins. This was not something you felt overnight. But they were leaders, which Nicholas II was not.

When there is no leader, the position is assumed by another leader. But we might not like the new leader. We might not tolerate him/her. Wars are not held between countries, but between people. It all depends on the people on leadership positions at the given moment. The people in power depend on the character of the leader.

During the Tsarist era, one type of people used to make a career, and the type changed during the Soviet period. The leaders of one regime are not appropriate for another regime. Sometimes, people need to die for things to change. The death of Stalin changed a lot, and so shall the death of Fidel Castro. The leader chooses and appoints its followers. Jesus also selected his followers by himself and with great care.

I have always assumed that the people who are my leaders guide the entire organisation I work at. That they are the authoritative. Igor Rõtov and Ain Hanschmidt surely influenced my future course of life. Both are successful to date. As managers. And leaders.

The same applies to the state.

I want to be led by people whose words I want to hear and whose thoughts matter to me even when I think differently than them. The idea is simple: I want to trust my fate in the hands of someone.

Just like a child believes that the parent knows better. And not only during the first 20 years into adulthood, but for the entire life. A mother shall remain a mother for a lifetime. A home with pre-schoolers running around, but parents absent or even non-existent, cannot last happily. Things may also become tragic when there is a parent present, but he or she is incompetent, brainless, lifeless, and without a soul.

In Estonia, some leaders are absent and some leaders are not appropriate for the role.

They should be deprived of their parental rights and the children should be sent to care. However, do we as citizens dream of being sent to care? No, we don’t.

A leadership crisis is not an artificial crisis. It is a bigger crisis than an economic crisis or any other unpleasant crisis, such as a marital crisis. Because there are no people who would take Estonia ahead of other countries. I think we need to be better than the Latvians, the Fins, and the Swedes. I would also very gladly be better than the Russians.