In a world fixated on the safe mediocrity of the status quo, easy targets of discourse, simplistic thinking, and the relentless pursuit of “get rich quick”, “self-help” and materialistic consumption, leadership suffers a dismal demise. In fact, there are fewer examples than ever before. America has a leadership deficit. Any contemplation of such, strains for valiant, heroic and forthright examples across the social spectrum.
For the few who strive, leaders must always endeavor for balance in their personal life. By duty, discipline and consistent devotion to principles put into practice, one avoids the distractions of a devolving culture. Such is the regression of societal obsession with materiality, consumption and excessive gain. Leadership is a “Spartan” existence. That is a notion of austere insistence on pursuing perfection beyond possession.
The conception applies to every aspect of life, as well as facing one’s final departure. Likewise, organizational life exemplifies a serious focus on the matters at hand, aside from personal defect, or shortcomings. While many whine, some unwind the complexity of their weaknesses and ascend to higher places. Thinking is the primacy of making personal transitions. What is each moment worth for the sake of betterment?
What is the value of time that ends at some unknown point of finality? It is not so much the journey, as it is who is on the quest and what he or she becomes along the way. The “family”, the “brotherhood-sisterhood”, the authentic sense of camaraderie, works toward harmonious interaction in the promotion of mutually inclusive goals. All “members”, of whatever “team”, work in harmony for productive unison.
However, the majority will resist in various ways, some overtly divisive, and others more covertly. Yet, the leader, and those who willingly follow, know there place, and must endeavor to avoid strife with each other. Purposely, each strides to show respect, follow necessary rules when possible, and obey the orderly necessity of interactions, in order to protect the “family organization’s” mission. Detractors will be watching.
Historically, from ancient times to the present, human interactions at every level of engagement remain a difficult challenge. Warring factions will always be present in some form or another, as dangers come from internal and external interferences. Diversions and discordant intentions, from inadequate personalities may “attack” without warning.
Leaders stay vigilant and look for signs of dissent, infiltration and adverse compromise. Leadership encourages each to act with a sense of equality, fairness and equity toward others. Realistic blunt honesty, openness and analytic rationality are preferred to immature “feel-good” platitudes. Silly cliches, bumper sticker slogans and simplistic “psychology” are counter by the value of reason over emotionalism.
The easy conjecture of facetious assertions, wrought with simple-minded analogies, prove nothing in the end, except counterproductive digressions. In association with that by contrast, most meetings and gatherings waste precious time. Frequent “get-togethers” typically offer dissenting options for prolonged gripe sessions. Complaining, criticizing and gripping about one thing or another seldom solves problems.
On the other hand, critical analysis through insightful and in-depth thinking, based on reason and evidence, has greater potential. Within the conception of the whole, each must be led to devote oneself to the service of others selflessly. Primarily, this is instigated by more enlightened and evolved thinking processes. For the sake of these undertakings, wisdom transcends the arrogant selfishness of biases perspectives.
To aid in this learning process, leaders must be work diligently to be competent, assertive and demonstrate by example. They must motivate others toward individual, group and organizational effectiveness given their respective roles and responsibilities. The management of the organization in every extended sense is the responsibility of everyone who functions within it. Systems work when people work.
Organizations fail when people fail to be responsible and accountable, and none can survive for very long without leadership. Unless everyone works together toward the harmony of the entire framework of interaction, the organization, the community and the society will devolve. Once again, getting people to change and ascend to greater levels is difficult. Humans are different from each other in many ways.
Diverse with a variety of wants, desires, and purposes, no one is the same as another. We cannot expect everyone to see the world in the same way. Each is at a place where he or she is either evolving or devolving. Individually, and in groups, or sub-units, they can be cold, calculating, and cruel. Although selfish, arrogant and counterproductive, everyone has a unique responsibility as part of an association. Likewise, everyone ought to be held accountable for his or her lazy, slothful and illicit performances.
Regardless, everyone is different in his or her perspective, beliefs and particular presence at a point in time, they are no less liable for their behaviors. Everyone is always responsible for what they say and do, and how they treat others. There are no excuses for misbehavior, especially within a legitimate organizational environment. Rationalizing inappropriate actions reflects selfish satiation for personal gain. Sometimes, part of leadership involves leaders spending time to ensure the equity of responsibility, and especially accountability for everyone in a particular setting.
Leaders recognize that a key aspect of competent leadership includes effective management of people with a keenly balanced insight into human behavior. It requires an understanding and wisdom for the fundamental nature of a committed stewardship of people and resources. At the same time, we must be constantly vigilant to the fact that an “evil” nature lurks within each person. Slothful, mediocre and apathetic people constantly look for ways to infect the organization with their negativity. Leaders must be ready to effectively engage adversity with sure, certain and swift action.
With a serious commitment to reason, a leader insists upon knowing the facts. Factuality in rational evidentiary proofs suggests a special penchant for understanding the details of any given situation. Likewise, the patience for the proclivity to comprehend the various factors involved, necessitate the examination of each problem solving aspect. To skeptically inquire consistently, using rational thinking processes is not something readily employed by most people. Even presumed smart people act stupidly.
Investigation of detailed information is critical. A thorough investigative continuum is essential. Those who do not take the time to ensure the facts relative to the evidence confess inefficiency, incompetency and ineffectiveness. In regard to the general public, in the event of an emergency condition, emotionalism trumps reality and evidentiary proofs are replaced by stupidly contrived dogmatic assumptions. Fallacies of subversive inference are perpetrated by magical thinking to satiate hasty generalizations.
In the contemporary scheme of pretentiousness to the act leadership, anyone can hold himself or herself out to be a “leader”. However, in reality, there are very few, perhaps less that 25% across the population, who actually have such potential. Forget finding sufficient examples of high quality leadership in the political arena. Those days are gone, selfishness is more prevalent for hedonistic agendas.
Reliable, consistent and exemplary leadership, from a selfless capacity for service and exceptional performance is in scarce supply. Why? There are a number of reasons. From a lack of accountability to responsible growth and maturity, some aspects are institutional, while other elements are primarily personal. Cowardice for the satiation of gain at any cost, with little or no risk or challenge, to the plundering of human and natural resources that punish or penalize ingenuity and creativity.
Organized political and commercial interests, concentrated in an increasingly smaller sector of a powerful few, selfishly manipulate conformity in communal processes. Intelligence is often criticized by the silly conjecture of foolish diatribe. However, for the limited number of leaders, they bravely persevere in spite of the rampant stupidity that surrounds them. While ignorance may be bliss among a significant number in any given organization, including presumed “smart” people, stupidity has a hefty cost.
The price of imprecise thinking, coupled with metaphorical psychobabble and silly inappropriate analogies, reflect the dumbing down and eventual demise of a culture. A failure to grow maturely, to ascend to a higher evolved status, requires exceptional capacity, skillful ability and deeply profound thinking. A brain creates the thinking we call a “mind”, and that inner entity must assure the reality of every moment.