SEPTEMBER 11 — A leader should lead. A leader should not depend on his supporters to clear his name and a leader should never expect time to clear his image. When issues crop up, it is always nice to be nipped in the bud and a leader should be quick to take action.
A leader should command confidence. When he enters a room, a leader should be like a shining beacon. His eminent light would cause glare into eyes that dare to look his way. A leader must also honour his word and should also be someone who walks the talk.
There is a saying that birds of a feather flock together. All those around a leader that he himself elected should at least be bright and not prone to shoot themselves in the foot. As Jim Rohn once stated; you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
Leaders should also have plenty of empathy and are able to gauge the feeling of the masses. When things are looking bleak and the situation is getting tough, a leader should be with his people. When Mother Nature decides to wreak havoc, a leader should be there to console and reassure.
A leader should be with his people and not be with his entourage on some other part of the globe.
A leader should be fearless. He should not be feigning a rope-a-dope and scurries out the backdoor at an event he gave his word to attend but instead take things by the scruff of the neck and settle things.
A true leader should not be focused on himself. A true leader would never betray the trust that was entrusted to him. A true leader would lead.
No woman should be allowed to take centre stage. A true leader would never allow that. There is a reason why the popular saying of behind every successful man, there stands a woman, is worded in such a way. It wasn’t worded as; in front of a successful man, there is a woman.
They say that a leader is born. A leader therefore cannot be made. I disagree. A leader can be shaped and moulded. It just depends on who or what that is doing the shaping and moulding.
Experiences are a great source for developing leaders. But when one is born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth, how exactly is one supposed to learn how to lead? When one has never had to fight for anything, when one is surrounded by others who are in the same silver spoon boat, how are leadership qualities to be instilled?
The rich raise their offspring differently. Empathy is developed through upbringing. So how do we expect someone who isn’t from the masses to understand the hardships of life? When any request or desire is taken care of at a whim, how is it possible to empathise with those who are less fortunate?
Leaders who have no real experience with the masses and only surround themselves with their own well-off kind would develop a mantra that cash is king. In that if enough cash is thrown at a problem, the problem would cease to exist.
A true leader is a once in a generation occurrence. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to wait.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Malay Mail Online.
