We
Are All Leaders
Every
individual has a leader in him. We need to look for the leader within us, invoke
and experience this state. This can be possible only by enhancing one’s
spiritual potential. Each alphabet of the word ‘leadership’ represents a quality
that adds up to a good leader.
L
represents love, liberty and listening ability; E represents effectiveness,
efficiency and enthusiasm; A stands for agility, assertiveness and awareness; D
is for dynamism, dedication and decision-making ability; E represents energy,
emotional stability and egolessness; R denotes responsibility and being a role
model; S represents subtlety and selflessness; H stands for humility and higher
values; I is for inspiration and impact creation; and P for purity, persistence
and positivity.
The
Core Cohesive Force
A
leader is the symbolic heart and soul of a group; he is someone who combines the
vision for prosperity and happiness with creativity and action. Leadership can
be defined as the core cohesive force, which holds the integrity of the group
and does not allow it to disintegrate.
Beyond
Basics
Human
beings have some basic needs - food, clothing, shelter and desire for love and
security. Over and above these basic needs is what we call higher human needs.
Once the basic needs are satisfied, the desire for the higher needs arise. A
hungry man cannot think of self-esteem, self-discipline, self-introspection,
self-realisation…
A
Leader's Qualities
The
needs of a leader and his followers should be fulfilled at both the basic and
higher levels. A leader needs to be the embodiment of love,
compassion, humility, altruism, magnanimity and forgiveness. He needs to
generate hope and confidence.
Sat,
Chit, Anand
In
the Bhagwad Gita, Krishna says that there is an invisible and immortal leader in
you and me, the nature of which is sat, chit and anand. Sat is eternal truth,
chit is unity of consciousness without fear, and anand is the ultimate
bliss.
Be
Active
Krishna
also says that to be a leader, one needs to "be in action and not stay
inactive". He adds, "Have renunciation in action and not renunciation of
action." If you want to evoke the leader in you, be rajasic with enhanced
sattva qualities, without tamas or inertia.
Nurturing
Leadership
Is
nurturing the quality of leadership necessary? Yes, it is, and right from
childhood. For perfect leadership, one has to live effectively with dignity
and productivity, which is possible only by optimal integration of body, mind,
spirit, soul and environment. A perfect mindset leads to perfect
leadership.
Many
Responsibilities
A
true leader is one who is selfless, has no greed, is service-oriented,
devoted, dedicated and inspires and motivates people to fulfill their goals.
He takes care of the group in every way possible. He believes that God is
working through him for the welfare of the people. A leader has to inspire and
motivate. He needs to organise the activities of a group without conflict
and achieve coordination within and outside the group. He has to fulfill the
physical, psychological, emotional, mental, environmental and spiritual needs of
the followers, including security, safety, support and
recognition.
A
Believer In Change
To be
a leader, one needs to believe in novelty and change and be willing to change
strategies, according to the requirement of the situation. Above all, he should
exude confidence and be free from greed, lust, ego, arrogance,
vindictiveness, and prejudice. He should believe in helpfulness, kindness,
flexibility, peace, harmony and self-discipline. A perfect leader is the product
of a physical, mental, emotional, psychological and environmental response to a
challenging situation.
Successful
And Effective
A
leader is successful when he is able to get the desired results from
followers or subordinates. Effective leaders not only concentrate on
productivity, but also on the needs and aspirations of followers. Some of the
important traits of an effective leader are intelligence, motivational drive,
maturity, foresight, acceptance of responsibility, open-mindedness,
adaptability, fairness and objectivity. An individual is a leader in the true
sense if he is accepted as a leader by the group and there is perfect
communication between him and his followers.
