Life will teach everything

Who is a leader?

From the origin of first recorded civilization to the world we see now and into the future, some sort of governance is essential for its operation. From the tiniest germ to the ever expanding universe there is an interlocking system of governance surrounding them. Endowed with the power of reasoning, human species also cannot escape from some sort of authority.

The nations of the world have some form of government. From the family unit to national level mankind generally need to be led. The followers are followers because it takes some special behaviors to attain leadership. Leadership is a skill that can be learned. However, not many want to take the role. It has its own darker sides. The pain sometimes is excruciating as the result will be looked upon from hindsight.

There are great leaders throughout history. They have some of the following common traits you can adopt. That is if you want to become a leader. Who is a leader?

He who keep the eyes on the horizon

A leader is a person who never forgets his destination. He is a visionary. He knows where he wants to go. He has a targeted goal. The goal is a burning feeling in him to achieve something. They want to reach new heights in life. They look for opportunity.

In whatever field you place a leader he always looks for the ambit of success in that field. It is because it is his nature to do so. They are inquisitive in nature but objective in life. As mentioned a born leader has a natural instinct to do something better than the accepted way. He looks for a ‘way out’ from the impermanence shell of complacency or norm.

You pick any leader in history or current affair; you will see there is something special about in him or her. They keep their eyes on the horizon.

“Leaders keep their eyes on the horizon, not just on the bottom line.”  (Warren G. Bennis)

First thing first

Leaders after deciding on what to reach for, draw out a list on how to reach the new height or goal. The list is either written or just remains in their minds.

However, they know what is the top most things they need to do first. They know exactly what to do first and they do it.

In sales for example, the important thing to do is to promote your product or service. Even if you have a good product, people need to know about this product. How are you going to reach them? What mode of advertisement you are going to do to get your product to the market? They systematically list out all the things they want to do. They discipline themselves to do it accordingly. They are the leaders.

Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is discipline, carrying it out.
Stephen Covey 

He who has responsibility

Leaders are easily identifiable. You can track them by the way they move things. If a job is given to them they take it very personally and pursue it with excellence. They are willing to give much responsibility as they know that if they break it will affect the entire system tremendously.

In the minds they play a worst scenario and cover every angle they could and carry out a mind mapping to the finishing line. They go for a perfect job and a happy ending. If they aren’t to the match they will say ‘I will try’ but ‘no promise’. They know that they have to pay a heavy price for the job in question. It is this truthfulness and sincerity in their words that make them truly responsible in whatever they carry out.

The price of leadership is responsibilty.”  (Sir