(WARNING: This post is LOOOOOONG! Hope you have a lot of spare time...)
Well, I was thinking today, and I was wondering about what makes a leader a good leader. I mean, people says that not everybody has the capability to become one, and that you need certain characteristics to be good at it. It's kind of weird... it's like having a job without really applying for it, and you pretty much have the position as long as you meet the prerequesites.
Why was I wondering this. lately? Well, God just decided to remind that this is the position that I'm suppossed to fill. Funny part was, I didn't choose to become a leader in the first place, but he's been telling me (And so has everybody else for SOME time) that I am one.
And you know what? I still don't really get it. I mean, being a leader is a huge responsibilty and whatnot, but I often saw myself a kinda lazy. But I guess other people didn't see that in me (Heck, I didn't even try to hide it!). So in due time, God showed me that I'm not as lazy as I thought I was. So then I started thinking to myself: What kind of things define a leader? What kind of things do I need to grow it?
Well, based on what I think (And what hundreds of other people have said), I'm pretty sure I can boil the idea down to some basic concepts. Stick with me, now.
First, leaders have to be strong. You can't lead people if you're all willy-nilly about your desicions and don't stick up for stuff you believe in. There are too many people who just get walked all over and shrug it off (Or cry it off, or WHATEVER they do) and let it happen again and again. Lemme share something with you all: Those people annoy me. And I almost never let myself get walked on. It's one of the things I hate the most.
Second, you gotta know how to lead yourself before you lead other people. This is a fact. How can a leader lead if he can't see where he's going? The simple answer is that he can't. It's a sad sight to watch people tackle things when they don't know their limits. Sad indeed.
A leader must assess himself and know (And admit to) his weaknesses before taking other people with him. He then has to try and overcome his weaknesses for the sake of becoming a stronger individual. Of course, whatever things he can't get past on his own, he can always rely on the team/people he's leading. Being a leader doesn't make you a one man show; it just makes you the leading role, per say.
And like all shows/plays, it takes the lead role and all of the supporting roles to make it success. See what I mean?
Third, a leader needs to be smart, wise, and able to think on the spot. This requires the least explination due to logic itself, but I'm sure a metaphor would help.
Ever heard that saying "I'll follow them off a cliff/to the ends of the earth."? Hopefully you have (If not, you just heard it now), so we can take it into perspective. If the leader is a complete idiot (Or makes and incorrect or unwise desicion) and just happens to (Metaphorically) drive himself off a cliff, he taking everybody else with him.
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In the end, you really can't have one without the other two. Example: If a leader is a powerful one, but is a moron, he going to stand strong and go down fighting for the wrongs things and the wrong reasons. Or if he's really smart and knows how to lead, but is totally weaksauce on everything, nobody is going to follow him.
You can mess around with different scenarios, but in the end, it takes a balance of all three to lead efficiently.
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And because I'm a huge literature buff, I'm all about symbolism and hidden meanings in writing. And what kind of things can illustrate the 3 mentioned points to a T? Why none other than my 3 favorite animals of course!
Tiger - Tigers are known to be strong and fierce, as well as downright scary when you piss 'em off. From literature to martial arts, the Tiger is a popular animal to symbolize power and strength, and they are rightfully portrayed as such. Do you think you could (literally) walk all over a tiger and get away unharmed (Or even alive?). Unless you weigh next to nothing, the answer is heck no.
Wolf - People seem to be suprised that I love wolves, though I dont know why (I have a freaking coffee mug with wolves on it! Erhg, whatever...), but they totally rank as some of my favorites. Blah, I'll rant about that in another post.
This animal isn't so much symbolic, as it is literal, but I guess I am using to to symbolize my concept so I guess it could be... *smacked*
Anyway, let's cut the crap. Frequently, we see/hear/read about wolves in packs, yes? Well, in a nutshell, they live and die in packs so they won't get killed and whatnot. But in every pack, there is and alpha male, who is the leader (NO WAI!). Now does the alpha male do all the hunting by himself? No. Does he think he's invincible? No (If not, he'll end up on one of your snazzy coats!). Does he perhaps have to rely on the rest of his pack now and then? DING DING DING!
Alpha males are leaders and are indeed strong, but they don't do everything on their own. They're with a pack for a reason (To not die. Duh.). They gotta know their weakness so they can count on the rest of the pack to help them out. If not, they ALL die. In real life, a lone wolf would be killed REALLY fast in most cases.
But in a figurative manner, sometimes a leader needs to do the "lone wolf" thing (But not completely alienate himself from everybody) to check himself before he's ready to lead others (Not to be anti-social!!). And for those of you with colorful minds, we are NOT in danger of getting shot and/or made into coats and such. D:
Now, would you really like to take on a pack of wolves? For those of you idiots who say yes, you can go ahead and try, but the alpha male is gonna be the first one to take a chomp outta you (And your pride), followed by the rest of the pack.
Fox - It's safe to say that foxes usually symbolize cunning and intelligence when put in a story. They stay level-headed in hot situations, and overcome their problems with smarts and deft-mindedness. Ever heard the term "outfoxed"?
(To a lesser extent, old indian folklore symbolized the wolf as a sign of wisdom and leadership... For those who care.)
I've liked those three animals for more than just their cool factor, I love their characteristics and what they symbolize! Maybe it's just the writer in me, or something, but I like to think that I have favorite animals for different reasons than other people.
But who would've thought that they'd help show me some key charactersitics of what it takes to be a good leader? Well, I'm sure God did (That's probably why he made them my favs), but I sure didn't!
'kay, the lecture's over. You may resume your lives.
(DISCLAIMER: I'm not an expert on animals or being a leader. If you got somethin to discredit my whole animal thing, don't share it with me. But if you insist, I'll eat you. Right on the spot, no excpetions.)
