The average person wants to become a leader. Many are beset with confusion on how best they can become one. While the attempt to become a leader puts to test your ability to manage people, it also traces the way(s) you can become a leader and a successful one at that.
I may need to advise you not to see yourself as a good leader by the mere fact that you have been appraised as a good manager in recent past. The world celebrates a good leader more than it does, a good manager. A good manager is an excellent caretaker of people through which he fulfils assigned tasks successfully. He can pull resources together to get things done within a given period of time. His main objective is Goal achievement with relative disregard to the qualities of his followers (or team members).
On the other hand, a good leader will harness all resources and consider ALL variables. In this regard, the emotions, professionalism and personal attributes of all followers (subordinates) are considered by the leader and such attributes are harnessed using the SWOT method to achieve a common goal (Remember SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). One who can do Public Speaking but is soft in calculations will have his/her strength considered and properly harnessed towards corporate success. Same will be done for everyone who is good at one thing but weak in the other.
Here, a leader will produce mind-blowing results, not just by fulfilling tasks but also by understanding the peculiarities of every individual and using same for future corporate success. Such person earns more respect and confidence of his followers than the manager.
There are 3 basic ways to acquire Leadership. These are Wealth, Experience and Honour.
A Leader becomes one by virtue of his/her Wealth, the experiences gathered over time or/and his/her perceived level of pedigree.
Naturally, a wealthy person can become a leader wherein he is capable of influencing people’s actions and opinions with his wealth. Such person is followed just as along as his wealth lasts.
Followers may see no other reason to follow him than the material benefit they accrue through him. Such leader can only retain his leadership status so long as he remains benevolent. At the slightest drain of his wealth, his followers disperse. Leadership built on wealth is a dangerous path to follow.
Also, an experienced person can be followed because his judgment can be relatively trusted. He becomes a voice that needs to be heard because he has gone through the test of time and can be seen to be knowledgeable in certain areas. At such, he gathers followers in his areas of strength and maximizes his potentials within his tested forte. Such leader may not necessarily be wealthy as his followers are more attached to him because of what his experience can produce rather than his pockets. He wins the hearts of many as long as his experience remains relevant. He is faced with the task to ensure that he is never out-dated because from the moment his followers begin to know what he knows, his leadership becomes questionable.
Experience is not what one has gone through in times past. It is what one has LEARNT from what one went through.
Lastly, there is leadership by Honour. Such leader becomes a leader not because of his wealth or experience (though he may possess one or both), but because he has been considered as a man of high and valued integrity. Most of the time, in real life, this kind of leader usually has the least number of followers on the average. He is followed because he can lead aright in ANY AND EVERY circumstance. He will not swerve or compromise his stand for anything other than justice and fairness.
His primary objective is not to gather wealth or followership but to do what is right. His desire to do what is right is what subsequently earns him followers. Most times, such leaders have perpetual followers who would have adopted his belief system as a rule of engagement. Such leader is not threatened by lack of wealth but by his daily exposure to compromising situations which are closely monitored by his followers and external forces.
Therefore, more responsibility falls on this kind of leader to keep his head up and enjoy PERPETUAL benefits of having followers.
Of the three (3), Honour is the greatest, and the next is Experience. The least is Wealth. What kind of Leader do you want to become? Do you even ever want to lead or you are satisfied with being a manager or a follower? Learn from those ahead of you, kill your ego, humble yourself and embrace the insults that come your way while you learn to lead. It is better to strive towards leadership. It has many residual effects that you will enjoy as time passes.
Stay glued to this page.
See you at the top.
…All You Need To Be You!!!
…All You Need To Be You!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment