While most of the world and society is the way it is because of pretty much everything mankind has decided to cast their blame, our livelihood and trends are the way they are because of the leaders we have got some chosen or elected by ourselves.
When one makes mention of a ‘leader’; one thinks of political heads, royals, prominent business persons, academicians, religious and cult influencers the list goes on. For just this moment, please let me get us down from the cloud of prominence and high ranks.
One does not have to be prominent to be a leader. Look at it this way, very often though not so usual today, good leadership made one prominent. Lately there's all sorts of avenues; some credible and some rather shameful, and neither worth special reference nor mention.
This could fire up an argument with no definite end just like that of the ‘egg or chicken.’ "Has mankind yet demystified what existed first?"
Great leaders do come out of the hands of great mentors or grow out of special 'life-shifting' situations and are thus groomed, natured, pruned and fine-tuned for purpose and/or task.
These great hands coupled with character also shape and determine one's leadership style, class and maybe basis for opinion.
It's practically not possible to groom, nature, prune and or fine tune a trait that's none existent in a prodigy.
one is not guided to no direction or purpose.
Thus the school of thought that every person is born with the traits of a leader. However, the mentoring process, situation and opportunity determine one’s readiness to utilise this trait right when the opportunity shows up. Let us not call that luck since unless one knows how to best manage the opportunity before them, it will definitely be an overwhelming burden. Simply put, “Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity" This a quote, attributed to Roman philosopher Seneca.
Fact is there are leaders who leave us before discovering, learning and exercising this ability at its intended full potential. We also have many among us that need just a little nurturing, mentoring and or fine tuning.
Not every great orator speaks truth. Like typical salespersons, they may be too convincing to deny, discredit or ignore and so are the ‘leaders' that have flushed many institutions down the drain. Some thinking they were doing the right thing and maybe expecting great results, and yet not- to their surprise****.
Leaders are made; one may thus easily conclude and yes, it's true only considering the fact that someone's natural traits have to be moulded, shaped and sharpened to fit the strategic role where then the decisions and choices they make either make them or break them and maybe everyone they lead. Every leader is groomed and natured to become that person who looks at task and opportunity a certain way. That said, not shying from fact that some are spoon fed or born into this role with little or no choice and indeed the results tell all leaders apart.
Who is a leader without a short at it, "Luck Is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity." One without great preparations and without the right handlers may not have the right sense of judgement and may squander any great opportunity thrown at them. one the other hand, every situation leaves lessons for those that do not become the lesson. There are leaders whose scars and blister marks tell the better story of the leader they became after the storm.
Those are the leaders that rise from opportune, milestone moments and situations. Not everybody is resilient against all odds even when it is only a shot they have got. Indeed there are so many individuals that are shaped by do-or-die situations and the majority never look back.
We can discuss great mind moulding situations for a life time and all the results will point to the fact that no one overcomes these situations, looks back and does see things through the same lens.
One can comfortably assert that the education system is designed to gradually take the student through the mind moulding process by exposing them to tasks with a measured degree of difficulty at a time. This is done to guide one's mind to reason and respond in a certain manner when faced with certain phenomena. Some situations unlike the predesigned and examined education system, strike and only those that stand the weight in the moment have life lessons worth more than a life time of education or money.
when an act is passionately practiced over time, it becomes a hobby then habit. In part, is problem solving and leadership as every problem solved becomes an milestone. These can also be key indicators of ones direction of growth and transformation as they go up the ladder to uncover the leader in them.
Great leaders are not just great readers but have great reference, both to personal situations and/or certain points in their own lives which orchestrated the change, and their growth into the person/people they look up to.
There are so many roles that may be related and considered leadership roles from the responsibilities and duties the persons involved are mandated with.
Allow me to mention and make clear distinction. We cannot refute the fact that there are leaders among those that perform these roles. Our argument is that, not everyone in the position is a leader.
This is how we tell one from the other.
Leadership and policing
It is always the task at hand that tells one from the other. While one is mandated to keep law and order, sometimes follow and execute given instructions without question for the good of some, A leader has got the right of reason. Like every ‘free’ individual, any leader takes time to think, filter, think again before an instruction is released.
Any leader is a brand that is bigger than the size of the body in their clothes. Word from them is most often presumed to be well thought through, severely processed and accurate. This does not exempt them from being human and all the vulnerability that comes with being one.
So, what sets leadership a stride from policing? With tasks that seem rather similar the roles played tell one from the other. Both maybe hands on, but the results, the manner in which a task is tackled-including flexibility and ownership differentiate a leader from one policing.
Am I stating that the police personnel cannot be leaders, of course they can. Everyone is born with the traits that can make them the best leader given the right moulding and opportunity.
Leadership Vs Audit
This debate can go on forever to cracking nerves if you met one passionate about Audit and maybe being in control.
It is not wrong to see yourself that way but ability to find fault or always finding fault does not make you a leader. The ability to find solutions to fault and the means of effectively executing this found solution does tag you as a leader.
Role and task can easily elevate one but that does not make one a leader. Responsibility, stewardship and accountability makes one a leader. Therefore, before we break our necks, can we pay just a little more attention?
Leadership and Parenting
Let us get this right; not every parent is a leader. This may have been during the era when parents tried to show a great example to their little ones. During the time when adults cared about what image they portrayed to those that would come after them. The era when family mattered more than money, career and fame. The era when short cuts where not an easy find and people cared to ask why rather than what.
Not lately when you have more un wanted babies born any way and the parents have no choice but to figure out how to make it work.
In an era with the highest count of single parents like there was an artificial insemination project gone wrong.
An era when responsibility, stewardship and accountability appear to be rather a burden to many of those to whom a shot at the great ‘role' is taken.
We are so used to having decisions made for us that if we could, we could leave without having to make one. Fear has gripped us so tight that it is easier to blame society and everything for things that are our very own responsibility, than getting out and playing our role.
You are a leader, Play your role.
Your leadership quality is vividly demystified by those that look up to you and mostly those that report directly to you.
You are indeed a great leader a mentor as such if those that report you can easily recommend their peer and other people of authority to you knowing you need them and having them relate with you is for the good of the whole.
You are a marvellous leader if you walked down the aisle through your office block and your colleagues left their desks, to find out how you are doing. Well to many, the aisle is cleared the moment the ‘boss' presence is sensed on one end and every eye gets glued to task and hand to purpose. Some even hold their breaths when you get close.
If the people you work with cannot put right your collar, they would rather let you discover your wardrobe malfunctions by yourself, then thereis a big issue with you as the leader. Not their inability to communicate.
If your Personal Assistant cannot casually comment about your new haircut, your dress sense and humour, then there is something about your leadership style that needs urgent attention.
If they rather showup sick than get treatment and perform better because they are afraid of the consequences of not showing up then your work ethic as a leader needs an urgent revisit.
If no one cares to know about your personal life, then you certainly will know nothing about theirs. Not because you are the leader. You are the boss.
There is always a big distinction between being respected and being feared. Everyone that qualified on merit to the position they occupy in any office knows and respects the limits of the position they hold.
Only animals and soldiers are led with fear. Most likely because of the fatal nature of the hazards involved with their line of work.
Take your time dear reader. If you are a leader, I challenge you to pick out 3 random people from your team and talk about 3 events that happened in their personal life the past 7 days.
Share one complement or ‘thank you’ you received from each of them the past 6 days.
Now you know where you lay. Most of the leaders reading this can share the unfortunate events that go on in the lives of their colleagues to the last detail but have not even one great/ milestone moment they can share about them
Only change does not change, everyone works for progress and is thus a work in progress, anyone that is trained can produce results ultimately but the means to the end define the leader.
people always look forward to their next move. You also shall move some day but the lessons, the knowledge, the experiences, the special moments are what define the legacy we leave behind.
We all have learnt of people that have served a lot longer in certain roles and to ‘most,’ they could pass for a leadership role. Allow me to get you the right side up. Unless one is mentored and groomed as leader, experience in a routine task only makes them good at that task but not managing the emotions, stresses, diversity and differences between colleagues.
Simply stated, your experience can only make you a veteran until you are moulded and mentored into be a leader.
There’s a set of ethics and a code that may not be the same for the leaders and the many they lead but the two are expected to relate and achieve benchmarked results.
There is a different coat which anyone can try on but one cannot get to keep it unless it fits well. That is a leader.
The definition gets to befit you. You do not get to fit into it.
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