LEADERSHIP
As we approach the elective congress of the youth league I chose to write on a subject that is close to my heart which more often people are mistaken to be in that category LEADERSHIP.
A simple definition of leadership-it is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. Put even more simply, the leader is the inspiration and director of the action. He/she is the person in the group that possesses the combination of personality and skills that make others want to follow his/her direction. There are four aspects that a leader needs, Humility, Courage, How to use power and Inspiration.
Humility
- Great leaders do not see titles.
- They see human beings who happen to have certain titles in order to perform particular tasks.
- Leaders who touch our souls recognize and honour people simply as human beings and not the institutional tasks they perform.
- By recognizing human beings, not titles, great leaders ennoble and enable others, drivers, factory workers, maids, guards, even servants-to realize their personal worth and hence their potential.
- As a leader grow a deep sense of awe for each human being.
- Train yourself to honour and treat everyone you come across with utmost respect.
- People will seek to associate with you if they know that you will honour their story and really listen to it.
- We are all capable of doing ordinary things in an extra-ordinary way.
- Recognizing other people for the good they do invite even better works from both the person being recognized and the one doing the recognition.
A LEADER NEEDS COURAGE
- Courage is a gift that nature bestows on all of us when we are willing to it.
- It usually means aligning our words and actions as much as possible with the way we think we should behave.
- Quite often courage demands that we publicly show where we think the truth lies.
- It has to do with identifying and living the fundamental values that lie in the deepest recesses of our hearts.
- Courage demands that we strive to stand by what we believe to be true without being influenced by the names and numbers on either side of the argument.
- It does not mean we are never scared.
- It is a matter of acknowledging our fears and at the same time choosing to follow what we consider the right course of action.
HOW TO USE POWER
- Power is an instrument not an end itself.
- It must be used only in order to bring about greater good.
- It is most useful when it turns into service.
- Many leaders have so much power that they can be tempted to become autocrats and run the whole show themselves.
- They need to restrain their use of power partly so that other can develop.
- Power is one of those strange realities of life; we often have it when we do not make use of it.
- We are most powerful and effective when we do not achieve things through positional power.
INSPIRATION
- Inspirational leaders break protocol.
- Inspirational leaders realize that most of what is termed protocol is what strips leadership of human emotions, laughter, spontaneity, fun and warmth.
- Then those leaders are at risk of being so formalized that they become more like robots than human beings.
- Robots do not inspire others; human beings do.
- You cannot inspire other people while you are not inspired yourself.
SUMMARY
- Great leaders are the servants of those they are privileged to lead.
- Leaders lead by example
- Leaders notice and honour the good in others
- While leaders do not court trouble, they learn life changing lessons from painful experience.
- A good leader makes him/herself dispensable
May the organization be the winner.
Submitted by
IKF MOGAJANE
YOUTH LEAGUE
SPOKESPERSON
20 July 2011
073 975 2664
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