Dr John Mohan Razu
Leaders come and go, but only a few are remembered. To become leaders be it in politics, business, or any other areas, one should be endowed with qualities that attracts and impresses others. The stakeholders do not accept and consider anyone as their leaders. At the same time, we keep seeing very many leaders in governance, (politics), economic affairs, and host of others somehow come to the top, but as months and years go by, the respective stake holders come to know their real character and the motives for which they aspired for this position.
At the same time, we cannot rule out that there are some who are born leaders, while for others the leadership is thrust upon them due to the circumstances. Those who were known and are known as leaders consciously developed awareness of what’s happening around them as well as outside. Throughout the history we have seen and come across in every field that those who believed in them that they could make a difference in the lives of others went all out inculcating disciplines, rigorous reading, consciously learning and de-learning made them to become true leaders. It is indeed a continuous process that should be cultivated rigorously.
Nowadays we come across leaders who hail from families known in political spheres and have held top position in their respective political parties and also at the national levels. We come across ‘dynastic leadership’ that seem to be the dominating factor across the spectrum of political parties. Whether they have the leadership qualities or not, just by virtue of hailing from leading political families they are being accommodated and being pushed to the top levels irrespective of their qualities. This has been a common feature going on for decades within the political spheres across ideological and political spectrums of India.
Leadership qualities does involve sacrificial and striving for inclusivity and common good for all. Leaderships does not involve personal and individual success, but be prepared to sacrifice individual successes to the overall happiness of all. Those leaders who people and histories have forgotten remained so much constricted by selfishness, and so people hardly remember them. Those who are remembered have always been driven by sacrifice and service. Genuine leaders work from their inner strength of calling or vocation.
The inner strength comes from the deep inner spiritual strength, ethical principles, and moral values. They would not be swayed by populism and popularity. Rather, they tend to be grounded by spiritual and rational thought processes. They employ common sense, organic intellect, and would not be outwitted by the whims and fancies of the worldly glitters. For those, not grounded and rooted on deep spiritual calling and ethical moorings would easily be carried away by the luring and tempting forces. If the mind is weak and not focused on single goal, the leadership is bound to fail.
The history always remembers those who loved their people and gave their life for the good of their people. The people have forgotten and hate those tyrants, oligarchs, dictators, and autocrats for their ruthless and inhumane rule. Leadership calls for hard work propelled by inspiration. Only when you are inspired, you can inspire others. Therefore, leadership will have to be inspirational and committed to the calling. Those who crossed the barriers have eventually become genuine and lovable leaders.
Leadership is not just being someone right there. It calls for immense qualities that will have to come from serious introspection and dedication. Leadership always requires being with the people; knowing their problems and striving hard to solve the problems majority face. Leaders who live in their own bubbles would not understand the world around and across them. Living in bubbles and assuming things that are not real would bring disaster to the leaderships. Leaders will have to enter into the domains of others, then only they can understand the people and the world better and realistically.
Leaders will have to be governed by fairness, justice, and love. Those leaders who are propelled by hatred, division, exclusion, and injustices, it is hard to uplift the people, who in turn be consumed by hatred and division. Leadership is all about participatory process and will have to be collective. A good leader will always delegate responsibilities and extends free-hand, so that more and more creativity and responsibility would grow. Genuine leaders would always evolve policies and programs that unites people, not on the differences of the people which would divide them. This requires one of the most important aspects that is objectivity – being objective leads to getting into the truth searching and path finding.
Those leaders who have long been forgotten believed in divide and rule, partisan and stoutly believing in polarization, and thus showed vengeance and ruthless. Let us keep in our minds that we are all sojourners who are not permanent. More to it, we are mortals and subject to leave the earth at any time. Nonetheless, we are here with a purpose. Those who are here without a goal are considered to be as useless and have led life not at all useful to the world and people at large. Those who have one specific goal in their leadership and went all out to capture and fulfill that goal than going after many goals have been successful and are remembered in history.
As Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew 5: 13-16, the following: ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it given light to all in the house. Let your light to shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.’
