Is the concept of “Leadership” confined only to Managing Directors, CEOs, COOs, CTOs and the top management of any organisation? Can only people trained by mentors be a leader or are people born leaders?
I, your humble author would like to introduce a third variant and dare to say that anyone in the world can become a leader. One does not need to be acknowledged as a leader to be a leader. Now that I have put forward this hypothesis, lets understand what it takes for you or me or anyone else to be a leader.
- Being Selfish
Yes, you heard it right. You have to be selfish. You have to be selfish enough to be the first person to support a colleague in times of his/her need and that too without asking any questions, without thinking if he/she is your competition or someone whom you would like to maintain a distance from. You have to go that extra distance.
- Being Calm and Steady
One needs to be non-reactive to impulsive behaviour. You need to calm and steady during emergencies. Once you are calm, your decision making process becomes easier and proactive. Never get affected by praise or criticisms. Just remember all these are temporary. Just like the Product Life Cycle Curve, they too move up and down.
- Talk to yourself
You are your best friend. Therefore, always take advice from yourself, argue, fight, create chaos and at the end of it you will get the right answers.
- Respect Everyone
Never be disrespectful towards anyone. Pay as much respect you pay to your seniors and peers to your juniors. Just because a person is a food-delivery agent does not mean he /she deserves any less respect. Never shout at anyone, nor pass sarcastic comments nor bully anyone. This goes both ways i.e. with colleagues, with friends and family. One needs to ingrain the concept of Giving Respect, into one’s DNA.
- Learn to Share.
The more you share, the richer you become. You may be a big entrepreneur and have been earning extra profits. Over and above your normal profits, over the past couple of years. In that case, share a part of your extra profits with your staff. They surely will be overjoyed and motivated enough to work harder for you. And the results will speak for themselves.
- Your Family
You must take care of your family first. You owe it to them and they depend on you. Whatever you do, is always for their betterment. Learn to enjoy and share your special moments and ample time with your family. All these talk of working 80-90 hours a week, competing with China is utter nonsense. If you are working in an office environment, and working extra on a regular basis, then it has a few connotations. Either you are over worked and your office is cheating you or you are too greedy for more work, as it means more pay and increased corporate visibility or you do not know as to how to prioritise your work. Choose wisely.
- Reading and Traveling
Both reading and travelling are not only great hobbies, but they go a long way to make a better person out of you. They open your mental horizons, make you more receptive to positive ideas and rejuvenate you.
- No Expectations
When you serve another life form, it is to be done without any expectations. Any kind of support you provide to them, should not be accompanied by any “Quid Pro Quo”, else service becomes a mere transaction.
- Social Service
To understand life fully, one must undertake a journey into its sad realities. To evolve into a leader, taking part in social cause is paramount. One may become a volunteer and serve orphanages, old age shelters, take care of injured animals etc. via NGOs or by self. Here service is more important than financial donations.
- No Grudges
To evolve into good humans, one must avoid grudges. Grudges, if sheltered within lead to the release of toxic hormones within the body leading to ill health. It is best to be happy at all times and under all circumstances.
- Practice what you preach
Once when Swami RamKrishna Paramhansa (the great Saint from Bengal, India), fondly called Thakur, was at his home, a lady came to visit him with her child. She complained to him that her child was very fond of sweets and was consuming huge quantities of it daily and that she was fearful for his health. She wished that if Thakur would counsel him on this matter. On hearing this, Thakur told them to come after a few days. The lady was perplexed at his request. Nevertheless, she came after a few days, but Swami RamKrishna Paramhansa kept on evading them with some excuse or the other.
After a few days the lady got tired of these excuses and asked him finally, whether he was actually interested in talking to her child at all or not. To this, Thakur called the child and requested him softly to listen to his mother and not eat sweets as it was bad for his health. On hearing only these few words of counselling by Thakur, the lady was annoyed and said that if he had to say only these few words to him, then why did he make them wait for so many days. To this Thakur politely said that, he too was very fond of sweets and ate quite a few of them daily. On hearing the lady’s request on the first day, he curtailed his own cravings and finally stopped eating sweets. The entire process took some time and Thakur said that earlier, he was in no position to request the child to avoid sweets as he himself loved them, Now that he himself, has got over those cravings he was in a position to advice the same to the child and to others.
These few factors if inculcated willingly by anyone, both in their professional and personal life, will start the process of becoming a better human being.
Only good human beings are capable and worthy to be great leaders with an aura over them.