Leader
A leader is one who carries the people with him or her. It can be a team, an organization, or even a country. A leader has to be non-partisan and above the individual interests. In fact, he or she has to represent the collective will and ensure that decisions are taken that are in the interest of the people if not, a majority of them. This last point is relevant as leaders in democracies and in general represent a majority of people and not everyone. A leader has to be visionary and be able to articulate the wishes of the majority. In these times, often, we find that the majority strives for meaning and understanding of an issue. It is in this facet that a leader shines. He or she has to have a clear and concise understanding of the issues at hand and be able to articulate and express the same lucidly. A leader also has to transcend the individual barriers to decision-making and be able to articulate a vision that is for the common good.
John Gardner’s quote
With specific reason to John Gardner’s quote, it is worthwhile to examine some of the leaders who have stood for president or have been presidents in the United States. Right from the period of the World Wars to the present challenges to American security and the war on terror, there have been presidents who have been able to rally the nation around them for a particular cause. Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower were able to win wars and also build an economy out of the post-war scenario. Their speeches have filled people with hope in a time of despair. The example of Churchill who famously proclaimed that “I do not have anything to offer but blood, tears and sweat” energized a nation on the brink of defeat and brought them around to victory.
Apart from the wartime presidents, there have been the famous examples of Kennedy and Clinton who were able to hold out a promise of a better tomorrow. Now, we have Barack Obama who is being seen as a catalyst who would “heal” the nation that has been going through a difficult period post 9/11.
Personal examples
In my own life, I have come across many leaders who have “walked the talk” when it came to performance. Their integrity for whatever they stood for and whatever they acted on that basis has inspired me. There is the example of a CEO of a company that I worked for and the example of a Dean in a college that I studied. Both men were outstanding individuals who could rise above the “ordinariness” of human existence and lead their employees and students towards a “greater good”. Though they were heads of their respective organizations, nonetheless they made sure that each of the employees felt at home and welcome. They used to make it a habit of remembering the names of the employees as far as possible. I have taken this example to show that they could carry even their opponents with them when it came to a collective elucidation of goals and their execution.
Of course, there have been leaders who have failed to unify the country or could not bring the conflict-ridden societies to peace. Without going into specifics, suffice to say that these have invariably been the product of a system that did not have democracy and was often authoritarian. The contra example of this is Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore who steered the city-state to prosperity and living standards comparable with the west.
The personality of a leader
It would be interesting to note that the psyche of a leader is a collective consciousness as opposed to an ego-centered “I”. Their personality is what can be described as “vision-driven” rather than “tunnel vision”. This would be a topic that can be studied separately. These traits of leaders make the people willing followers and subscribe to the vision of the leader.
Finally, we need a leader- whatever be the setting and the canvas- who can ensure that we transcend the pressing problems of the day and lead us to a better tomorrow.