Power Is a Loan: Why Leadership Is Measured by Legacy, Not Tenure
By Ochuko Kokofe
Power is seductive. It arrives with applause, titles, and privileges that make those who hold it feel untouchable. Yet history offers a sobering truth: power is never truly owned—it is only loaned. And every loan has an expiry date.
This reality plays out across politics, business, religion, and community life. From emperors to presidents, CEOs to faith leaders, those who treat power as permanent always meet the same fate: motorcades vanish, applause fades, and titles become past tense. What endures is not how long they ruled, but what they built while they had the chance.
Consider Nelson Mandela. His presidency lasted just one term, yet his legacy of reconciliation and nation-building continues to inspire the world. Contrast that with Zimbabwe’s late Robert Mugabe—once celebrated as a liberator, but later remembered for clinging to power and presiding over collapse.
The same applies in business. Steve Jobs is remembered not only for Apple’s innovations, but for creating a culture of creativity that still drives the company. In contrast, moguls who failed to mentor successors often watched their empires crumble after they were gone.
Even in recent times, New Zealand’s former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern offered a masterclass in stewardship. She stepped down voluntarily, citing the need for fresh energy, but left behind a global reputation for compassionate leadership. Compare this to leaders—political or corporate—who cling to their seats, leaving behind only legacies of distrust or irrelevance.
Religious and community leaders face the same test. Pope Francis continues to reshape the Catholic Church with humility and inclusiveness. Meanwhile, others who turned faith into personal empires are remembered less for their messages and more for their scandals.
The lesson is clear: true leadership is not measured by tenure or titles, but by legacy. Did you leave people better than you found them? Did you open doors for others, or did you barricade the path behind you?
A bridge you build for someone may bear your name longer than any title. An opportunity you create could become the ladder that generations climb. Conversely, when leaders hoard opportunities, suppress voices, or treat positions as personal kingdoms, history answers with isolation and ridicule.
Across nations, businesses, and communities, the leaders who invested in people are the ones whose influence outlives their reign. People are the real legacy.
So while your voice still carries weight, speak for the voiceless. While your table still has space, invite others to sit. While your hand still holds the pen, sign opportunities into existence. Because one day, when the pen is no longer yours, the very people you lifted—or ignored—will decide how you are remembered.
Power is a loan, not a possession. The wisest leaders use it to build people, not monuments to themselves.
