A leader should be well versed in the field of his activity. Possess a thorough knowledge of the subject of his business and an overall intelligence of all departments of his organisation. Which would be essential for him to effectively guide, direct his team. With his position and knowledge a true leader bears a humble countenance. Knowledge always goes with humility. Possessing such traits he would attract the adoration of his colleagues at office. And the members of that organisation naturally develop a team spirit for its success and progress.
Another essential quality of a leader is the ability to lead his team. He does not merely point out the way. He actually goes forward, treads the path himself for others to follow. Oliver Goldsmith, an English poet, compares this trait to a bird teaching its offspring to fly. In his poem The Village Preacher, Goldsmith portrays a perfect human being in the life of a village preacher. In exquisite poetry he draws the comparison of the preacher’s quality of leadership to that of a bird. When the mother bird knows its fledglings are ready to fly into the open skies it carefully draws them out of the nest. It tries each art of teaching, reproaches their delay in action, allures them to a brighter and beautiful life ahead and leads the way to it. So does the village preacher help his people by his own example to leave their selfish enclave and enjoy the brighter world of freedom and happiness.
The quote:
And, as a bird each fond endearment tries
To tempt its new-fledged offspring to the skies,
He tried each art, reproved each dull delay,
Allured to brighter worlds and led the way.
A leader needs to follow this example. To lead and not just show the way to his colleagues at work. Parents especially must learn this trait and apply it while relating to their children. Set the standard of life for them to emulate. And not just give sermons. But in the modern world most parents commit a double fault. They do not live the life that they expect of their children and merely shower them with unsolicited advices. As a result the young remain repressed, frustrated or leave their homes.
A leader again is one whom you look up to, adore. He possesses adequate knowledge, fine emotion and a sense of service and sacrifice. With such adorable qualities he stands out like a beacon for others to emulate.
Above all, a leader fixes an ideal for himself and his team to work for. The ideal must be above self-centred motives to embrace the welfare of the larger community. To serve a higher cause in and through his business. The leader pursues the set ideal with a firm conviction. That attitude creates the initiative among the workforce to put forth the best for the organisation. Where there is no such ideal the members of the organisation have to be coerced to work through incentives. A practice which runs against business ethics.
— Extract from “Governing Business and Relationships” book written by A. Parthasarathy.
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