The Type Of Ubuntu We Need As Developers And As The Human Race

I am who I am because of who you/we are ( I exist only because you exist)

Ubuntu is an African philosophy that emphasizes the idea of self through others, with its meaning roughly translating to: I am because of who we all are.

Ubuntu is about a sense of shared humanity – this humanity is an understanding of the interconnectedness of all life. A golden thread of goodness connects all life from the lowest creature to the highest, this golden thread of goodness is commonly known as love i.e. Ubuntu.

The philosophy of “I am because of who we all are” is awareness to us that we are all part of something larger. This idealism suggests to us that humanity is not embedded in my person solely as an individual; my humanity is co-substantively bestowed upon the other and me. Humanity is a quality we owe to each other. We create each other and need to sustain this otherness creation. And if we belong to each other, we participate in our creations: we are because you are, and since you are, definitely I am.

As developers, we need to ensure that we grow as a community. As developers, for many of us mainly from Uganda, we don't have that many resources in regards to learning IT skills. So this entirely becomes difficult for someone passionate and new to the tech industry to grow as a developer. So as a Google Developer Student Club Lead or as a knowledgable programmer with some/lots of experience what are you doing to ensure that you make the journey smoother for someone who's just starting out. The concept of the ubuntu philosophy is about being part of something bigger than ourselves, journeying as a community, journeying as a whole. So do help someone by sharing the knowledge you have either by giving them resources, mentoring them, guiding them with more insights on how to travel the journey and how to grow as a developer.

Having an Ubuntu spirit is not simply a leadership skill(whether you're leading yourself or others), it’s a mindset change. It's a different way of approaching everything we do.

So how can we, as individuals, embrace Ubuntu leadership?

It’s not easy. Eventually, we have to realize that our ego can get in the way sometimes (even if we don’t want to admit it does, or that we have one at all). Here are a few suggestions on how to bring your Ubuntu spirit into the game as a developer and as a leader.

1. Stay in touch with your compassionate side. Recognize that what enables you to do great work is your connections with others, what impact do you want to have on those you come into contact with every day? Do you affirm them and enable them to flourish? Or do you try to prove your importance, skills, and wisdom and skillfully/cleverly help them see the errors of their ways? Be honest with yourself, none of us like to think we do this.

2. Encourage a growth mindset for both yourself and for those around you. Work hard at creating a learning environment people feel they belong to and want to stay with, by developing and growing your team frequently. Continuously check on their progress and be intentional about it. And then when they take the skills and opportunities you have given them and move elsewhere, instead of feeling slightly resentful, feel proud that you have supported them to grow so they can make a contribution elsewhere. Acknowledge that you will indirectly be helping another individual or group of people(a company/another developer circle etc) to flourish – knowing that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves whole.

3. Be generous in your partnership working. Be mindful of having debates in your head about what power or agenda you’re prepared to give up or concede. Rather, get creative and passionate about what your circle can contribute, about what connections you have that will benefit the partnership and make it thrive (…just like a python developer circle am in where we are intentional about each others growth and we share whatever skills/knowledge/resources we have acquired that we think could be useful to the rest of the group. I really have no doubt that fantastic collaborative work is soon going to emerge once a good number of participants is at a certain level of fluency with the language, we could create real impact on our different societies).

A recap of the content above:

1. Stay in touch with your compassionate side.
2. Encourage a growth mindset for both yourself and for those around you.
3. Be generous in your partnership working.

So go tap into your compassionate side, make connections with various individuals that can help you grow and those you can help grow, work truly collaboratively, and see the bigger picture by leading for the collective. Join me and lets practice Ubuntu.