Undoubtedly, many definitions underline the word in the dictionary that is so respectfully read and decoded as The Leader. Yes, the leader is one who can be defined in more than one way for sure, but often one wonders how concisely and precisely it can be condensed to a globally acceptable and awe-inspiring term it was destined to be.
Some erudite individuals emphasized the physical impression that reads as the one who leads from the front. The perspicacious thinkers went a step beyond to identify a leader as one who is genuinely concerned for all and is the planning brain behind all successful endeavors. The philanthropic mind preferred to define leaders as those who held empathy for each member and thus were emotionally the father of the pack. As civilization spread its wings, the definition also took different shades and evolved according to the perception of others.
In present times, where the population has grown to uncountable numbers, the word leader has also picked different synonyms based on the cognitive angle of different sections of people and their aspirations. Many myopic individuals prefer to identify a leader as one who holds credentials of similar caste and creed. The well-read prefer to call one a leader who holds an educative perspective and possesses both the foresight and ability to execute actions that would be beneficial in times ahead. The mob often garlanded the rabble-rouser as their leader, for he/she was the one who befittingly replied to their ignored concerns with aggressive vendetta against those in power. Unfortunately, the cancerous growth of the populace is promoting such jugglers in plenty. These maniacs are able to disguise themselves well in hypocritical shades and survive a few decades before one gets to read them truly. The wealth factor has also contributed to such endorsements, and many with rich legacy have survived ages posing as leaders.
The democratic structure has promoted a needful trend of servant leadership. Just like the bureaucracy, where the civil servant has enjoyed the privileges of the master, the servant leader has mastered the manipulation to yield power in the name of selfless service.
It is time to regain the faith and respect the word “Leader” holds by redefining it according to the present generation and the needed parameters. Of course, the leader is one who must be self-motivated to initiate and effectively contribute to social happenings to contribute to engineering a healthy future for self and the next generation. Often, such energized initiatives are triggered by education; however, in the present times, the idiosyncrasies of the powerful and the insanity of the masses are serious concerns and strong reasons for the declined interest of the meritorious to come forward. The wealth culture has defined monetary language as the only communicable one, and the absence of sustainable values has led to circus shows that have pushed the world to the brink of extinction. It is mandatory for human civilization to assemble and redefine their path by pausing their steps towards Death Valley.
The great phenomenon of leadership that India experienced while evolving into one of the booming economies was well sculpted with the help of an astute bureaucracy as a team behind. The promotion of a successful state leader to a national level and thereafter a global level was indeed a well-engineered path. The leadership certainly has been able to hold the falling walls of the fort together to date, yet the country has a wide set of differences, and its diversity provides immense space to be an easy target for global antics that seek to exploit differences by consuming the toxic and nefarious many who aspire to be well positioned in times ahead. The leadership has fared well, yet the volume and variety cannot avoid the critical perspective of many myopic individuals. The belief that total power corrupts has always been the motivating catalyst for the incumbency factor, and often stability has been ignored and drastic change desired, though this may turn out to be fatal.
The lenses of many sagacious souls believe that one single leader is not only easy to worship but also easy to deny or critically castigate undeservingly. The leadership for a big nation needs to be sheltered like the banyan trees having one trunk but many branches. The palm tree model is an easy victim to a conspired downfall. Thus, leadership needs to be catapulted to prominence with more than one wing in vision, and in the case of a populous nation, multiple wings disciplined under a single body to work as a cohesive unit.
Leadership certainly desires excellent communication skills, sharp cognitive skills, insightful analytical skills, effective interpersonal skills, quick decision-making skills, and last but not least, organizing skills to ensure execution. These steps can certainly define how to become a leader, yet the process is longer as the dynamic modalities are more complicated than one can truly read.
The present trend preferred in political leadership is of hypocritical shading—posing as a servant leader yet celebrating authority, assisted with a team that reads well that leadership requirements are dynamically oriented, requiring quick and alert action to survive and facilitate the goal that a politically positioned individual desires.
About Dr. Arun K. Shukla
Dr. Arun K. Shukla is the Chief Executive and Faculty Captain of La Militaire Academy. He is also the Founding Director of Albatross Academy Pvt. Ltd. and the Founding Secretary of the We Still Hope Organisation. Additionally, he serves as a Psychotherapist and Mentor at the Psycho Centre.
