Whatrichardsaid

They say that “…a leader without followers is a man taking a walk.”

For decades, like anyone interested in business and team building and management, I read and study everything that has to do with leadership and its variants.

What is a leader? Is the leader born or made? Is the leader responsible for the actions of his followers? What characteristics does a leader have or should have? IF You ask the question,  you get a variety of answers.

But in recent years, I get the feeling that everything to do with this issue has been blurred. 

Today in the era of Ted Talks,Social media and miss information, we find many talking about leadership and its different aspects. Each of these characters  describe their version of being a leader, and they even present formulas and processes to become one, when the truth is that the leader is discovered, never announced by oneself.

Leaders are not all equal, or have the same characteristics, we are obsess on profiling the role for reasons that scape my mind.

In my opinion, and this being my space, I am going to use it, The very logical basis of leadership is self-confidence and the defense of your own values ​​and principles, logically, assumed with effort, experience and a lot of study.

A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.

With more than 24 years in the world of business,  I have had many teachers, bosses and supervisors. Only two people have left their mark on me and I have considered them leaders and a worthy example to follow.

BTW both follow me on this blog.(Thank you Joost and JºMaria.)

Yes, setting example … “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means” said Albert Einstein. not exactly a man known for his leadership, but known for his example.

Our society, specially the young ones are idealistic, they are passionate about important issues and they want to believe, they want to fight , but they have lost faith on our system and our representatives.

The Lack of leadership not only in government but institutions and specially in business and corporations means that no matter how much we talk about leadership and its characteristics and definitions, we cannot assimilate the true role of the leader or compare those words with a specific person. 

Today, in the middle of a pandemic, probably the worst global crisis in the 20th and 21st century, the only thing that should have been in every so called leader’s mind was how to safe lives, how to solve the problem fast and accurately. Find solutions, no matter what cost.

Mostly what  we have seen is how they used the pain and grief of others to gain political advantage, business looking for economical advantages, or higher profits. There are exceptions of course, but in a general context, we have seen individualism more than collectivism.

In the era of the sharing economy, of globalization when we are more connected than ever, no one has emerged as a true leader.

No name comes to mind if you ask me ,who is a worthy leader today?. I may be naif, negative or even tired, but I can’t answer the question truthfully.

Albert Einstein once said, “The leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity… out of discord, harmony… and out of difficulty, opportunity.”

Can you think of one leader today that fits that description?

Leave a comment with your thoughts.