Do you see yourself as a leader?
Leadership qualities are essential for effective leadership. Lord Ram crossed the sea. He vanquished the demon king Ravana through his excellent leadership. He also demonstrated exceptional organizational qualities. The leadership qualities can be inculcated through learning and adopting people people-centric vision.
Table of contents
Key Takeaways
- Leadership involves uniting people for a common cause and setting an example through motivation and foresight.
- Lord Ram serves as an ideal model of leadership by organizing and guiding others to combat evil for the greater good.
- Unlike a family head or a teacher, a true leader must engage in planning, strategizing, and executing plans collectively.
- Leadership qualities are not exclusive; anyone can develop and refine these through dedication and persistence.
- A good leader also requires judicious use of power and must stay connected with the people to effectively address their needs.
The task
The big crimson solar ball of the rising sun above the vast expanse of sea was bright and invigorating. The azure sky was clear with a few seagulls soaring and encircling, and they were full of vigour. Under divine leadership, the regimented army of monkeys engaged in a monumental task.
(a) Collective work
Each individual was enthusiastically doing his work. They lugged the boulders of different shapes and sizes to the site. Craftsmen were placing and cementing them to form a bridge. This bridge was to connect two landmasses separated by the vast sea. It was a test of the grit and commitment of a determined person to bridge the sea.
(b) Regal demeanour
Sitting quietly with his younger brother, Lord Ram closely watched the work. His regal demeanour was oozing out despite his simple ochre drapes. His Divine bow and quiver of arrows lay beside him. Both of them conversed occasionally. Knowing about the whereabouts of his wife Sita, it was imperative to free her by force. Sita was in the custody of Ravana, the emperor of Lanka. Every possible diplomatic effort failed except for it.
Lord Ram – A leader
Lord Ram possessed superior leadership qualities, a quiet and balanced thought process, and an undistracted, determined deportment. Many believed he was an incarnation. He was popular among the inhabitants of the area far away from his own kingdom, Ayodhya.
What a leader has
A leader can bring people together for a common cause. The leader must set an example for his followers. He should encourage them to improve under adverse conditions.
(a) Organisational capacity
Leadership qualities are different and wide. One of them is organisational capacity. He must be a motivational force, too. Thus, a leader must have the capacity to inspire and motivate people to do good. Far-sightedness is the prime quality. A leader should be capable of prognosticating an impending situation, to plan and take advantage of a stratagem. A leader does not necessarily have to be in a particular field. People have to have a leader to solve their issues. A leader must be capable of working with concerted efforts.
(i) Illustration of Lord Ram
In the example cited at the beginning, Lord Ram is an ideal example of a good leader. With his extraordinary abilities, he organised people against the satanic forces. He sought their active and passive cooperation to annihilate evil forces. Like a true leader, he led people to a righteous society. In this society, human welfare was of prime importance, not the individual whim.
(b) Holistic approach
A leader has a holistic approach, and human welfare is his prime concern. Abraham Lincoln is known for his farsightedness and humanitarianism. He rose to become the President of the USA. Lincoln knew about the ill effects of oppression and exploitation. The abolition of slavery was a milestone in the humanitarian journey.
(c) Power for implementation
A leader should have some power to harness those who don’t heed. The rights and duties make two to tango. There are different rights. They can be birthrights or acquired. Society grants the latter types of rights. Every individual has the right to live freely. It is why the great freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak said that Swaraj was his birthright and he would have it. Nevertheless, there are duties as well. If, for example, cleanliness is our right, keeping our surroundings spick and span is our duty.
(i) Class monitor
A class monitor is often considered to have leadership qualities. Yet, the prime duty of a supervisor is to watch and check the activities of his fellow classmates. He must report faithfully to the class teacher. A monitor has a limited role and responsibility. He doesn’t decide as to who was wrong and who wasn’t. The class teacher decides about the delinquents and punishes them. So, the role of a monitor also doesn’t fit in the definition of a leader.
Leader in family or school
(a) Head of the family
A few often compare leadership with running a family or with a teacher. Comparing with family, or a similar situation like a teacher or a coach, is like putting two different things together. A dispassionate cogitation would reveal that leadership is more challenging and demanding. Running a family or coaching a team or a group has a limited scope, so to speak. The head of the family is at the pinnacle of domestic affairs, who controls and regulates them, but doesn’t lead. The primary concern of the family head is to take care of the affairs. Managing them well is essential, but it must be within the limits of capacity. A family has a distinct, but not water-tight, division of labour.
(b) Teacher
A teacher or a coach also leads, but their role is different. They impart training, educate and teach their respective disciples. The captain of a team is the leader of it because he plans, strategises and executes plans appropriately. He collectively decides on a plan.
Practice makes a man perfect
It would not be correct to say that leadership qualities are exceptional and god gifted. It would equally be unjustified to say that it is the prerogative of a select few. Both conditions are exaggerations of facts. Every individual has some measure of leadership qualities. It can also be inculcated through proper training and learning. With persistent honing, one can become sharp and witty.
(a) Kautilya: A mentor
Kautilya was ridiculed, shamed and humiliated by King Nand in a public event. Infuriated, Kautilya opened his Shikha and took an oath to destroy the autocrat. He saw a group of children playing king and subjects. The deportment of the boy in the role of king impressed him. He saw leadership qualities in the boy and started grooming him to become Chandragupt Maurya. Kautilya (Chanakya) was not a leader. He was a mentor, guide and advisor.
The system
(a) Jurisprudence
A system of jurisprudence developed for the smooth running of society. Delinquents have to be identified and caught. They must be taken to task. Decisions by a person can be shadowed by several reasons. It is rightly said that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Unchecked authority leads to authoritarianism. Thus, a widely deliberated and properly thought-out system needs to be adopted. Codified faults, crimes and delinquent actions with varying degrees of punishment are necessary.
(b) Individual whim is harmful
It should not be left to anyone’s discretion. Institutions are thus evolved. The whims of one individual or a group should not overshadow justice delivery. To keep transparency, actions need to be taken according to the laid-down principles. Before doing it, one has to prove one’s mettle and nuances. It is also a leadership quality.
(c) Judicious use of power
Judicious use of power is an important aspect of a good leader. A leader should manage to withstand the tremendous pressure of adversaries. He should stand firm against the powers working against the welfare of his people and country. Like a watchdog, he has to keep a vigilant eye on his subjects to keep them united. He has to keep a careful eye on the black sheep who can disrupt the harmony.
Introspection
While mooting out, he started soliloquising. Does he have an iron will and steel-like power to withstand pressure? Does he have dispassionate but intense love for his people? Though he has some friends, very few of whom are not the kind who can come to help when needed. A leader should not be solitary. He must be gregarious, who talks and interacts with people, identifies their problems and takes initiative to sort them out. If he has these qualities, he possesses leadership qualities. He doesn’t find these qualities in himself while thinking out loud. Will he be called a leader? “No”, a reply came from within.
In the end
One can be an influencer who has the tremendous power to mould people’s opinions. He can have an excellent command of language and words. He can have the ability to use them effectively. Nonetheless, leadership is something different. Though using word power and oratory, a leader can communicate well, but an orator is necessarily not a leader.
More reads:
-END-
Leave a Reply