Inhibitors to Leadership

Leadership behavior and qualities are not limited to any particular stratum, level or profession. These can be evidenced in any role, in any category of people, in any situation. So a salesgirl may exhibit leadership qualities as may a newspaper vendor, a housewife as may a college student, a bus conductor as may a company executive.

It is very difficult to put a finger on what exactly makes a good leader, as many leaders are very different from each other in terms of personality and traits.

For example, if we consider a powerful personality as an essential characteristic of a leader, then why did millions of Indians follow Mahatma Gandhi willingly when he urged them to adopt non-violence means of protest and give up using imported goods? He had a mild personality and was extremely soft spoken. Hardly the charismatic leader one imagines a path-breaker to be. On the other hand, you have another Indian freedom fighter, Subhash Chandra Bose, a dynamic and powerful speaker, a quintessential man of action, so to say, who equally successfully, inspired millions to take up the freedom struggle in India, and got world leaders to support his efforts.

Each one of us can emerge a leader by personal transformation and change.

For this, the key word is personal change, or modification of our thoughts and beliefs. Identify your role model, and learn from his/her journey towards greatness. Having an inspiring role model urges us to adopt similar behavior and actions in our lives.

You also need to let go of your fears and inhibitors.

Let me discuss the common fears we have about ourselves:

Æ     I am not smart/ intelligent enough to become a leader. The pet peeve of almost all of us, who believe that we are not good enough to lead other people. Most of us have a negative self-image that pushes us to undermine our strengths and play up our shortcomings. So we have this script playing out in our minds constantly:

o   I am dumb

o   I can’t do this

o   My communication sucks

o   I wish I were someone else

Shake it off pal, if you want to rise above the rest. Leaders are far from perfect. They have risen from ordinary backgrounds, have struggled like you and me to prove their worth, and have conquered personal demons.

Æ     I have failed so many times. So have all of us! Failures are the pillars of success, goes an old saying. Failure is not demeaning as long as it teaches as valuable lessons about ourselves, and about life. Leaders, all through time, have been open about failing, and of picking up from where they have left off. Leadership involves rising like a phoenix from the ashes of failure.

Æ   What will people say/ what if people laugh at me?  If you spend all your life thinking this, then unfortunately, life will pass you by. People are busy leading their lives, they will, at the most, comment on what you are doing, then carry on with what they were doing.  Our insecurities pull us back, always citing the stray incident when someone laughed at us, or mocked our actions. But, think of the times when you went ahead and achieved results, gained personal happiness or contentment. Is it not worth risking one or two comments or laughs for the joy of doing what your heart desires?

Æ     I will lose my job/ financial stability. Risk-taking is not everyone’s cup of tea, admitted. CEOs and company honchos are comfortable taking risks. But think about it. They have far more to lose than you. Still they do take calculated risks. No pain, no gain, as they say. Leadership involves taking tough decisions, often unpleasant or risky. But the expected trade-off makes it worth it.

You will find a lot of thoughts preventing you from displaying leadership behavior at the workplace:

o   My boss will scream at me

o   He/she will feel insulted by my actions

o   Co-workers will become hostile

o   I will be overstepping my area of authority

o   I will be upsetting the status quo

And so our fears hold us back from displaying the leadership qualities we may have hidden within. Often unpleasant precedents haunt us. But a leader has to break free from such inhibitions and do what is required. Today, leadership is about initiating change, and change involves upsetting the balance to create something more worthwhile.