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EVERY MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY
LEADERSHIP: A FAR CRY FROM ITS PURPOSE
“He
who thinks he is leading and has no one following him is only taking a walk” –
Malawian Proverb
According
to the Cambridge dictionary, a Leader is “a person who manages or controls
other people especially because of his position, while the Oxford dictionary
defines “Leadership” as the “act or action of leading a group of people or an
organization”.
The dictionary’s definition is the result or outcome of a leader, but doesn’t
explain what it takes to be a leader.
There
is no textbook guide to an effective leadership because while one style may
work, it may be totally despised and frowned upon in another society. Some
leaders may be effective using fear and intimidation, some through charisma and
motivation, but one thing is
certain: all of them strive towards their respective goals.
Unfortunately,
most Leaders today especially in Africa do not understand the importance and
values of leadership and
misapply its gifts to devastating ends. Those
who thrive on fear and intimidation
enforce
draconian subjugation on their followers, while those who use charisma and
motivation tend to be lackadaisical and
complacent in the discharge of their duties.
However,
the truth about being a leader as the dictionary defines is the “management”
and “leading” of people. The dictionary
includes control because it may be effective,
but it is not efficient. A true leader who wants to be
effective must as a priority be able to manage and lead people to achieve his
goals. He must not necessarily exercise control and restraint. Any leader who places
control above all other attributes is a leader with no purpose and goals.
Leading people is about imparting into people’s lives, bringing out the best in
them and in most cases instilling confidence in them.
In
managing and leading people also ensure you maximize the valuable assets of
your followers for bountiful success. Any leader who feels he/she can work
better alone does not have leadership potentials. He is a “ticking time-bomb”
who will make his followers lose confidence in him.
Lastly, it is important to note that someone in a
position of leadership is not always right, that is why if he is able to manage
and lead his followers effectively, they will be able to point out some things
he may have overlooked and even plausible suggestions to daunting challenges.
Also in a situation where he goes wrong, he will have people to share the burden with. It’s a case of “You
are wrong, I am wrong, but together we are right”.
As Ronald Reagan puts it “The greatest leader is
not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets
the people to do the greatest things”.
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