The levels of leadership

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Pascal Nyasha | 19 Mar, 2013
For decades, there has not been an agreement on the true meaning of leadership. The definitions, explanations, understanding and paradigms of leadership are as diverse as the scholars on the subject. This is mainly because of the fluid nature of leadership itself as a practice, how it adapts to different people, environments, cultures, races and even religions. A peopleâs understanding of leadership seems to be more influenced by their culture which is their ways of life and so does their practice of it. This creates so much definition wars at seminars and conferences especially where people have different socialisations and experiences. Even personal experiences at home are a huge variable in not only how somebody understands leadership but even how they express it. It is this debate which is the joy rather than the problem.

Leadership has levels. This I am not talking about the bureaucracy in organisations, where one is a supervisor and the other the CEO. Leadership has two main levels, the personal leadership and inter-personal leadership. The basic understanding of this paradigm come from the fact that the things one needs to lead ten thousand people are the same things one needs to lead self. The tragedy of the world today is that of people who have failed level one which is personal leadership is being given room to practice level two, inter-personal leadership.

Someone who cannot think for himself being given the responsibility to think for a company, a nation or a community. Someone who cannot motivate self being expected to motivate a team of community workers or employees. Someone who cannot utilise their skills being put in a position where they are suppose to inspire and encourage others to maximise their potential. A lazy person being expected to encourage and bring out the hard worker in others. A person who cannot decide for himself being made manager or CEO to decide for the workers, shareholders and stakeholders. One who is full of fear being put to lead and inspire confidence in others in the face of adversity? One that is a pessimist being put to work out the scepticism and cynicism of the population. This is the tragedy of the world today, personal failures are expected to help everyone succeed or even to succeed for everyone as CEO, manager or even president

The world has lost a lot due to such people than it has to AIDS, natural disaster and wars. I say so because it is such people who fail to respond to these disasters or to offer tangible, effective and long term solutions. I believe leadership development should first focus on the person first then graduate to looking at the person in interaction with others, the leadership many of us focus on. I believe before people are put to lead others, an assessment of how they lead themselves should be made. If their personal life is a wreck they should be helped to lead self first before being thrust onto the major stage. They should get a life coach and work on personal effectiveness before they can be expected to be effective for the organisation. If they have no self control and abuse their own personal finances, what guarantee they wonât abuse the companyâs finance or even workers?

Personal failures should never be and to determine the destiny of others. They should work on themselves until they are personally effective, until their life is organised then they can start thinking of organising others. This is the challenge we have today. Many people want to change the world but at close look, they personally need more change than the world does. Be the change that you canât to see in the words of Mahatma Gandhi. Whatever you want to see in the world, be it! That is how we can change the world, a person at a time, allowing those who have successfully changed to change others or help others changes.

Do not expect them to change. Power corrupts. Instead of getting better, with power and authority they will be worse. Young leaders should go under intense mentorship and guidance before being thrust into responsibility, not only because they may not understand what needs to be done but because many of them may not even understand themselves. First things first, lead you first then lead others. Leadership starts at you then flow to others. You first have to demonstrate great personal leadership before desiring to lead others. These are the two levels of leadership, personal leadership and inter-personal leadership

All the best as you lead at whatever level you currently are. Be the best leader you know. Be the best. Just be the best!