We live in an age of few true leaders, and a time when masqueraders, cheats and mountebanks parade themselves before the masses to be elected into positions of leadership. The time is therefore auspicious for us to reflect on what we want in a leader.
I define a leader as the fulcrum for harnessing, managing, processing and directing human resources and material for the attainment of set goals, the modification of behavior, and the realization of projected outcomes. For a leader to be effective, he has to achieve a congenial ambiance within the organization he heads through spiritual, emotional and intellectual competence.
By spiritual competence, I mean that wholeness that results from deep philosophical reflections on life and clear notions about existential issues of choice, the purpose of life, the causes of individual misery and happiness, and the purpose of existence. In short, spirituality in a leader means wisdom in that leader. It is this wisdom that enables a leader to exude goodness, fair-play and justice, and to predict and pre-empt undesirable occurrences. Wisdom equips the leader with visionary gifts of virtual clairvoyance to see beyond the present in order to foretell the future. Wisdom endows the leader with sensitivity-the ability to know and apply the golden rule of behavior, so that he can extend courtesy, respect and dignity, which he also desires, to the group he leads. Wisdom imbues in the leader the awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of those under his watch, and to appropriate commensurate duties and functions to his people without partiality or bias. Wisdom enables a leader to cultivate a positive mental attitude, to be transparently honest, optimistic, trustworthy, and humane. Wisdom enables a leader to eschew vindictiveness, persecution and graft, and to pursue mercy, sympathy and humility at the workplace. Finally, wisdom enables a leader to attain charisma, which is the ability of the individual to commit himself to the well-being of the group, and in return to inspire loyalty, admiration and obedience in those under him. Particularly, this spiritual bond is of great essence insofar as the real power of any leader is how much power his followers are willing and ready to confer on him. Thus, a leader's spirituality enhances a leader's ability.
Likewise, a leader must be emotionally competent by demonstrating calmness, courage and optimism at all times. Since the atmosphere of a place is the reflection of the mood of its leader, his fears, uncertainties, frustrations, anger and negativity rub on the people, and leave gloom and doom looming in the environment. Conversely, a leader's courage, humor and confidence fire the zeal of his followers, galvanizing them into positive actions and attitudes that ensure progress. For this reason, a leader's emotional state is central to his effectiveness.
Finally, a leader ought to be able to demonstrate superior intellectual competence to the group. Put simply, the leader has to be the most knowledgeable, intelligent and versatile individual in the group. Indeed, it is my opinion that the most authentic hierarchy is the one based on intellect. This is perhaps the goal and purpose of all formal education-to sort out and separate individuals within groups according to levels of intelligence, and to appropriate attributes and assign functions according to abilities. Ideally therefore, a leader must apply himself to a lifetime of learning in order to expand his intellectual capacity and to be on top of his brief. A leader that fails in this respect becomes a pawn in the hands of others,.... and even in this pitiable state, he will still require a quantum of knowledge in order to distinguish between good and bad suggestions, since it takes a modicum of knowledge to apprehend knowledge. For this reason, a true leader needs to make the search for knowledge a visceral part of his life.
In conclusion, spiritual, emotional and intellectual competences make the leader, and the one thirsting after these qualities is the person in search of a mantle as well as a mantra for true leadership.
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