THE RIGHT TO LEAD

What gives a man or woman the right to lead? What individual characteristic is required for other people to feel the desire to look up to a particular individual for direction?

Yesterday I was reading John C. Maxwell's book titled: "The Right To Lead" and was introduced to a deeper understanding of true leadership. During the Vietnam war US army general H. Norman Schawrzkopf was heading a battalion in one of the worst and most dangerous parts in the world. Colonel Schawrzkopf was known for his love for his soldiers and whenever his men were injured in some troubled spot he would always ensure he was on all the rescue teams sent out on rescue missions.

On one particular mission, without hesitation or forethought to the dangers that lay ahead of him; a possible loss of his own foot perhaps; he successfully made his way through a field layered with booby traps and land mines to save a wounded soldier. This act of selflessness became more apparent when later that day at the military infirmary it was discovered that the injured soldier he had saved was black.

All the while, colonel Schawrzkopf had not even noticed or realized this fact. He been desperate against all odds to save one of his own men.

In my mind this simple story illustrates then what true leadership is all about. The army had given the colonel the power to lead, his knowledge and skills gave him the ability to lead. But his demonstrated character and courage under the most difficult of circumstances had earned him the right to lead; and John C. Maxwell says it well: "Your talk talks, your walk walks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks."

Needless, for anyone who aspires to lead, let them remember one crucial fact: a leader will never be more or less than the evaluation given to him or her, by those he/ she leads.

As I study leadership and delve into the different kinds, the people themselves; new and old leaders who fight to stay in power, who die to lead a nation, who give everything and all to become boss, I make it a personal habit query myself: "Have these great men and women earned the right to lead me? Are they worthy to be in power? They may have the brains and the technical know how or obvious look, but do they care about the people they are committed to serve? Have I myself as a leader in my personal and business development training company, earned the right to lead those below me?Next time you think of appointing someone to lead your firm, business, department, station or nation, consider this: even in a pack of racer dogs, the dog that stays in front of the pack has to earn the right to lead the ones at the back of the pack.


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