Modern Sensei: Who is a leader?
PART 2
“Great leaders don’t tell you what to do, they show you how it’s done.“
Ronald Reagan
Drastic times are calling drastic measures or people. These persons are agents of change. And no – this isn’t a phrase. It’s a fact. They have different names, but generally speaking – they’re leaders. And often, they’re not aware of that label because everything comes naturally when we’re talking about their behavior, acts and attitudes. Especially in business.
Their majesty – leaders
The evolution of leaders is a quite subjective matter. We’ve explained this topic in the PART 1. And just to remember: leadership is changing and that depends on different factors and surroundings.
By simply typing on Google: ”Definition of a leader”, you’ll see that this person leads or commands a group, organization or country. And this is formal and maybe boring definition, right? But, the main question is: How you define a leader (no matter where he/she born, works or does in his/her life)?
The essence of leadership
The very essence of leadership is that leaders have a vision! Simple as that.
And according to our LinkedIn survey you had various opinions about who is a leader for you. Even 35% of respondents said that a leader is a creative visionary and designer of good working culture. Then 18% said that leaders are agents of change and at the end 12% said that leader is one bold and careful teacher.
Generally speaking – a leader is someone who is thirsty for knowledge, experiences and good working people with a sense of fellowship.
“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.“
John Maxwell
Our vision of leadership
A true leader is someone who (in most cases) has:
- communication of the journalist;
- enthusiasm of the child;
- prudence of the diplomat;
- eloquence of the priest;
- courtesy of the king;
- discretion of the lawyer;
- compassion of a nun;
- an entrepreneurial spirit of the pioneers;
- courage of a mountain guide;
- curiosity of the researcher;
- endurance of marathoner;
- optimism of gambler;
- manners of a gentleman;
- patience of Japanese zen Buddhist
Just to repeat one more time: this is our vision of leadership and you don’t have to fulfill all of these requirements. Don’t forget that leadership is a combination of different aspects. It’s not necessary to have all of them, but being an exceptional leader is learning during the whole life.