Lead Yourself before Leading Others

Jun 17, 2019 | Source : Aviation Times(Daily Hunt)

Great leadership begins from within. The quality and effectiveness of any leadership rely on the perspective and the mindset of the leader. The  efficacy of a leader doesn’t exclusively depend upon the knowledge of management science but also rests on the level of the leader’s consciousness. Quantum mechanics reveals that all matter at the lowest level is vibration. Hence, how the mind vibrates and what thoughts it harbours, impacts our own personality, the environment, and others around us.

Inspire to Make a Difference

Humanity is inspired by the ideals that they see in the lives of effective leaders. Such leaders inspire everyone around them by their example and become shining beacons for the masses to follow. A leader, be it of a team, company, or nation has a moral responsibility to set lofty examples for inspiring the rest of the population with impeccable thoughts, words and deeds. When noble leaders are at the forefront, the rest of the society naturally gets uplifted in morality, selflessness and spiritual strength. However, in times when there is a vacuum of principled leadership, the rest of society has no standards to pursue

and slumps into self-centeredness, moral bankruptcy and spiritual lassitude. Hence, leaders should always act in an exemplary manner to set the standard for the rest. Therefore, a true leader is one who contributes by leading through example.

Serve to Lead

True leaders first become good servants. Leading through service, or service leadership may sound like an oxymoron. One may wonder: how can a servant be a leader? Well, it turns out that the individuals who view themselves primarily as servants make for very natural leaders, owing to the following characteristics they exhibit.

First, they are empathetic towards people. They have the ability to put themselves in the shoes of others and share their emotions. This empathy expresses itself in a tendency to listen carefully before making decisions. Servant-leaders never blame or impose their will on others. Though they have a vision for their team, they simultaneously understand that they cannot do it alone. Thus, they focus on providing support to their team members and building harmony within the team, which leads to the accomplishment of their broader vision in the long run.

Second, these individuals are focused on developing other people and helping others achieve their goals. Often servant leaders don’t desire credit, power, or success for themselves. Their happiness lies in the success and growth of their team members. They value the needs of their team and let those needs to drive their actions. Due to their selfless focus on the happiness of others, servant leaders are naturally humble. Regardless of their position, they also actively look for opportunities to serve, large or small. In this way, they positively influence the dispositions of the people they serve. This is the secret to their leadership abilities. They grow into leadership without trying to be leaders, focusing on their inherent desire to serve.

Build to Succeed

The fastest way to achieve success is to help others succeed. It’s because we rise by lifting others. Hence, a true leader is one who creates and empowers other leaders.

Charismatic leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, etc., always endeavoured to help others which resulted in leading the nation successfully toward life, liberty and happiness.

Work is a ladder given to us by God to help us ascend our inner growth. When work dawns upon us it should not merely be a matter of achieving results, but also of growing up and taking everything in our stride. A leader with this perspective facilitates others’ development and encourages their growth, naturally increasing the service attitude towards them.