Leader - Who

Every one wanted to be a leader. Every one wanted to be lead.

Who is the real Leader? The question needs some exploration to be made both inside and outside. Some people claim politicians, big names, academicians, administrators, Affluent people and popular paupers as leaders by choice, or by success, or by renaissance, or by real strength of followers.
Is a title really required to be a leader? Gandhi was followed by millions of people of India and fondly called father of nation is one of the greatest leader the country has every produced and the world has ever witnessed. Still some people are not for the ideological opinions of Gandhi and consider him as an over glorified human being. Some people claim Patel would be a better choice for the first prime minister than Nehru who by virtue of being close to Gandhi occupied the coveted chair in 1947. What does Patel has and Nehru doesn’t have. We really never worried about knowing the history in its purest form and still go by what we were taught in schools and read in the text books.
What it takes to be a real leader as far as administration is concerned? Consider the following:
A leader is a person who should not worry about the tag and work for the common cause as his first motto…simply speaking he should not be worried to lead without a title.
A person who is considered as a trustworthy individual by all the team members and talk well of him on his face and out, may count him in the leadership groove
A man of character and principles personified. Character is not what you do when others are watching it is what you do when others are not watching. Principle is the way in which we can live rather than exist.
A leader is someone who is not producing followers but producing leaders. Normally when people go higher up on the ladder they started feeling insecure as the close in command breath on their necks and waiting for the next opportunity to get hold of the chair. A true leader will never be afraid of his position and he rather gleefully saw his successors succeed.
Look at this scenario: you come across a major fraud committed by a superior of yours. But you kept quiet fearing about your own position and next appraisal is just on the way. You are compromising an activity which you would not allow if you are above your leader. Your leader is in a way made you sacrifice your own individuality for your individual advantage thereby negating your claim for sanctity. Both of you will not be a good leader and will become one.
Leadership is a quality not come just by birth. If you are an heir of a political hoodlum or bigwig people start respecting by your sheer bloodline. Some cases it may be worthwhile but most of the cases it is mere sycophancy. We saw lots of living examples throughout our country irrespective of genders people were made leaders and considered powerful. Who is to be blamed for this chaotic atmosphere? The voters and the system, especially, the most educated voters who never worried about the political system by not exercising the voting rights but sit on discussions about how a government should run.
Likewise in any organization especially family run business we can witness the difference in management from the elders to youngsters. Elders are worried about the attitude of the younger generation considering all their activities are playful and adventurous. The younger generation taken for granted by their fancy degrees and borrowed knowledge by so called self improvement books, and lectures by so called gurus ( economic guru, commerce guru, knowledge guru, management guru ) what not consider the older generation are just fit to sit in an arm chair and transfer all the power and wealth and mind their own business. What we need is a balanced approach. Experience plus youth can do wonders.
Let us look at the approach of the present day unemployed or over employed or over paid youth. Either they don’t have an idea about their knowledge, skill sets, mission, vision or never worried about what they wanted to become and what are they doing. Get an MBA become a vice president setting aside a person who has put on 40 years of service in the same field and start commanding him. All they eye is on their fancy six digit salaries, luxurious automobile, well furnished accommodation, fully decorated office cabin, week end parties, etc. If they honestly think about their real worth to the company, and started working no company will become sick. They think themselves a leader the minute they laid their hands on a company appointment in reality they are not. Many of them just have a job but not work. Real workers never mind about the job they just love to work and love their work.
If we take the experienced employees case they are clearly under the illusion that the number of years you put on a company will automatically entitle them for a leadership post, and the youngsters who started working with him or for him will know nothing and thought their experience will override the educational qualification and technical skills of the new recruit. Is that an acceptable practice?
Another common misconception in any organizational set up everyone started thinking, they alone work and others are expendable and the company will be ruined if they are not present. If such is the case the company will thrive and thrive just by the effort put on by each individual employee as just for the sake of his own personal development he will be putting 100 per cent of his effort for the company. Is that really happening? The company was there even before he joins and will be there even after he had gone.
With the organization perspective all the employees are just working for the sake of salary and everyone is expendable and dispensable, at the same time not replaceable just like that as it is very difficult to find someone with rich experience and know-how. Salary makes one work for the company not die with it. Only by sheer dedication and determination and their love for the company and job an employee can give his fullest to the company he work for. On an average if an individual live for 70 years and work for a company 35 years he gives half of his living age to the company which is not a small thing. It is up-to the company to nurture them, develop them, evolve them, and persuade them to try newer things, kindle them to ideate unique, and reward them adequately if not abnormally.
All an employee or a normal human being requires is a pat or an appreciation for a job well done. Everyone is craving for appreciation. It need not be a cash reward, or lucrative incentives, or a paid trip to London like that. A genuine word like WELL DONE MATE, will do wonders to his morale. How many companies or leaders are sincerely doing this exercise?
The general attitude of subordinates are their leader is a good for nothing, a real bore, a guy who know how to butter assess, made their position just because there is no alternative ( TINA FACTOR ), being a yes man always, never think on their own, a worker rather than a leader etc. From a leader or a managers’ point of view all his subordinates are dumb assess, never take organizational interest as their priority, wasting office time and money, yet another furniture with life, in the whole company he is the only one answerable to the management or owners and the total office runs on his head. But the irony is both of them knew they were wrong but refuse to accept or alter their attitude towards each other.
Where to draw a line and how to change their individual perceptions? A real leader uses all his expertise not to find only fault with the employees, whether they are superiors or subordinates to him. Sometimes we need to catch people doing when they are doing right rather than wrong. Most of the time a timely pat on the shoulder, a word of appreciation in a group, even a small well done note do wonders to the employees morale and the reward will get reflected in a more dignified and enhanced performance.
A clear demarcation of tasks, delegation of responsibilities, a clear cut checking mechanism, a honest appraisal system, an unbiased approach, willing to try new waters rather than living in age old tested terrain, respecting the capabilities of each individual purely by their merit not by their titles, creating a congenial atmosphere among the colleagues, are some of the other main characteristics of an effective leader.
All said and done there might not be any specific definition for leadership as it depends on various factors like, industry, job profile, team size, charisma, geographical locations, work-life balance etc. but every individual himself is a leader by virtue of being different from other fellow human being. what is a known fact unrecognized by many is each and every one has at least one special quality which others do not possess. An enlightened individual would try to identify that particular quality and learn something from it. Otherwise the relationship become meaning less for both the parties.
Why not we start looking others like a real leader and look out for the positive points of an individual from now? We should not ignore the negative habits of an individual however when we concentrate more on the positive aspect it tend to over ride the negative qualities. What you give is what you get. What you want is what you see. See the good in others then others will see the good in you. Don’t make anything which you later may find regret. What is not acceptable to you on your personal values is equally applicable to others also.
Learning this is an art but not a rocket science. Life is a drama and we all play a minor part as humans and learning this art will not be that tough. What is required is our own willingness to see the world empathetically rather emphatically. Only this attitude will do us a world of good and success, popularity, pride are all bound to follow. But still after so much of achievements we feel our head between the shoulders not above the sky. This humility is the quality will definitely take every individual to the desired destination.
Good luck.

Mathu