Feature: Leadership imperatives anchored in Peace

By Timothy A. Edward

Peacebuilding is not only a diplomatic endeavour – it is a critical leadership strategy. Nations, like businesses, rise and fall on the health of their relationships and their ability to resolve conflict with vision and character. The historical journey from World War I through to the founding of the United Nations serves as a mirror to today’s boardrooms, where leaders must intentionally cultivate cultures of stability and purpose.

Japan’s post-World War II resolution toward non-aggression offers a powerful metaphor. As competitive pressures mount, even the most peaceful governments must adapt defensively. However, as any business environment will teach, change is inevitable, yet growth is optional. Growth, in this context, comes when companies choose peace as a strategic value, embedding it into their operations, negotiations, and stakeholder relations.

War has many faces

Conflict wears many uniforms. In the geopolitical sphere, it may be waged with drones and ballistic missiles. In the corporate world, its weapons are ego, miscommunication, and unmet expectations. Hostile takeovers, leadership silos, and fractured team dynamics are today’s battlegrounds.

Then, warfare - physical and emotional - has been woven into human history, and today’s forms of conflict are more complex than ever.  Innovations in chemical weapons and anti-aircraft systems have completely changed the battlefield. The possibility of satellite-based weaponry hints that even the cosmos may not remain untouched by human strife.

Yet war is not limited to governments and armies. It shows up in households, workplaces, and communities.  For example, conflicts between spouses, siblings, and parents and children. Disputes among neighbours, bosses, and employees. Hostile business takeovers and fractured friendships.  In such situations, however, if we hold on to peace in our hearts that will eventually bring an end to hostilities.

As we all know, personal strife leaves heartbreak, sorrow, and deep emotional scars. Billy Joel’s song “And So It Goes” quietly echoes this truth. A ballad of pain and vulnerability, it speaks of the soul’s hidden room - a sanctuary where wounds are nursed and heartbreak finds bittersweet acceptance.  These poignant words also underscore the quiet wars fought within - the war of disengaged employees, toxic workplaces, and broken trust.

Emotional scars in business manifest as burnout, high turnover, and cynical culture. Like nations scarred by war, organisations too must heal. Leaders who offer listening, transparency, and restorative processes transform pain into resilience.

If virtues such as peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action can reside in our hearts and organisational systems, they can disarm even the deepest rage and stabilise violent tendencies. Real peace begins not through war or hostility strategies, but through soul-searching transformation.

What drives division in the workplace?

Just as caste, language, and pride have sown seeds of war across borders, their corporate counterparts - hierarchical arrogance, departmental elitism, and unchecked bias- threaten unity within teams. These internal fault lines must be confronted.

Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another. Culture change begins not in the mission statement, but in the hearts of leaders willing to model virtues like forgiveness, humility, and courage.

Building a Corporate Gyroscope

Life moves in waves - calm tides and storms alike. Like ships tossed in turbulent seas, people and businesses alike are tested by trials. Ships possess gyroscopes to maintain balance even when the waves surge high. A gyroscope keeps vessels upright amid external chaos. This hidden instrument stabilises the ship, regardless of external conditions.

Likewise, humanity and businesses, too, need a similar compass to anchor themselves with core values that steady their internal ecosystem. We need an internal gyroscope - one built on foundational beliefs rooted in love, peace, contentment, compassion, and forgiveness. When our inner world is steady, we are far better equipped to withstand conflict and turmoil in the outer world, which is also applicable in the business world. Let peace be the umpire in our heart, settling every question that arises.  Let it be the decision-making umpire in crisis, the compass in strategy, and the heartbeat of leadership.

Peace - like profit - must be intentional. When it is woven into company ethos, not just PR campaigns, it becomes an operative force. The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. Influence rooted in peace.