The Secret Word on Leadership
We have been made to believe that an army of generals can’t win a war. We have been all along trained to distance ourselves from the leader within us and to accept the role of followers. Yet, leadership is what it takes for people to advance and change their lives for the better. Leadership is key to happiness and development, both at a personal and societal level. Moreover, the potential for leadership exists within each of us and that discovering it lies within our grasp. As Brian Tracy says ‘You have within you, right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you’.
Interest in what makes effective leaders is one as long as history itself. Literature on the subject looks however more like a contest in personal statements about leadership and the formulation of frameworks, models and approaches. In the study and discussion of leadership, everyone seems to have a personal view. Even the definitions of leadership are as varied as the explanations. Philosophical discourses on leadership are so meager to be helpful, while discussions have been either in terms of morality or evasive prescriptions of lives for the general population as in Rawls’ A Theory of Justice. In psychology, social psychology, politics and organizational behavior there are very interesting entries on “leadership”, but these entries are rather descriptive, without being analytically or critically rigorous, and the philosophical issues have to be distilled out of the maze of considerations.
Some years before taking the reins of power, a prince asked his wise adviser to write a book on leadership, a kind of guide to his rule as new king. The wise man spent few years writing down his knowledge and wisdom on the matter. When the book was finally completed, the wise man was summoned to write up an executive summary to spare the busy prince from spending a lot of time on reading it. Meanwhile the prince got involved in important matters and could barely find the time to read even the book’s summary. He then asked the wise man to sum the entire book of leadership up with one word. Some months later, the wise man went back to the prince to reveal the magic word of leadership that sums up all his knowledge and wisdom. When the word was revealed, the prince proudly and laconically answered that he had always known it.
Claire Booth Luce popularized the “Life Sentence” idea, observing that ultimately history usually summarized the contribution of a leader in a single sentence. She has also popularized the idea that we are the author of our own “life sentence.” Should you wish that your ‘life sentence’ bears the hallmark of an effective leader, you should then know the secret word that sums up all the wisdom and knowledge about leadership. Don’t worry if you don’t know the word. Leadership can be improved and developed by learning and experience throughout a lifetime. However, the principles and concepts of leadership can be mastered more rapidly through study and training. You may be surprised at how easily the word of leadership can be expressed.
M’Hamed & Sarah CHERIF
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