[caption id="attachment_54" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Setting the Vision"][/caption]
“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no success is possible, no matter wether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
On Tuesday of this week, the United States will change the most powerful person in country, possibly the world. From the moment Barack Obama won the US election until he takes office next week he may be the most followed person in world. Not followed as in the news media, but followed in terms of a leader having followers. This has led me to think about what people look for in leaders.
Given that leadership is something that virtually all people look for, what does leadership mean, and is it different for each person? Is it as simple as understanding that people will follow a person who will make some aspect of their life better, or is there more to it? Do people look for some of themselves in their leaders or do they want something different? Do people look to their leaders to inspire them? Do people look for different things in their leaders in good times and bad?
Exploring this a little more, it is clear that groups of people choose their leaders differently. Teenagers choose leaders differently than adults. People in the business world choose leaders differently than the military. Sports teams choose leaders differently than religious organizations. Without going through specifics, it is clear that each of these groups will identify their leaders in their own manner, some formally, some informally, but leaders will certainly be found in each of these groups.
Individuals within these groups will choose their leaders as well. The Army reservist who plays hockey on Saturday and goes to church on Sunday will have multiple leaders, each of which chosen in different ways.
Underlying all of this is a statement that people choose their leaders, they are not assigned. In extreme cases such as military operations, you are assigned to a leader and everyone in the group’s lives are dependent on following the leader explicitly and without question. Outside of this environment, I wonder if the same leaders would have the same followers. In almost all other situations, the leader is selected as a personal decision at the individual level.
I hope to explore this topic further in a future post.
Barack Obama’s followers are looking to him as the beacon of hope in a very trying time. It may be very difficult for anyone to live up to the expectations that are being laid at the feet of the newly elected President. It will be interesting to see how his leadership may or may not change as people start to see the that it is impossible to achieve the results in the time frame our attention deficit society demands. After all, if God created the world in seven days, why can’t Barack re-make the world in a month?
