Chapter (1)
"The only way to train to be a leader is to be a leader."
Antony Jayn
What is a leader?
A leader must do the work of a leader.
“The meaning of the word leadership is someone who takes a position and acts in a way that guarantees responsibility for a matter.”
I would like you to read the above statement, "A leader must do the work of a leader" and think about how you will lead your own life.
This means that before you can lead others, you must first think about how you will lead your own life. All human beings are leaders in their own lives. You must lead your own life.
If we accept this, we must decide how we will lead our own lives. Leading others is another matter.
Leadership and following
There is a proverb.
"If you can lead, lead. If you can't lead, follow."
This proverb is a great explanation of leadership. If you are a leader, you must be able to lead. If you are not able to lead, you will have to follow.
Leadership and following are often seen as two separate phenomena, but in reality they are connected. Most leaders started out as followers. They rose to leadership through following. They went through the stages of being a follower before they developed their leadership qualities.
Broadly speaking, not all leaders go through this process. Some are born with great leadership qualities. This has led to a theory. This theory is called the “Great Man Theory.” The idea behind this theory is that leaders are born, not made .
This theory has been popular for many years. It was especially popular in the 19th century. The stories of Abraham Lincoln , Alexander the Great , and Mahatma Gandhi became legendary, supporting the idea that leaders are born, not made. There are many examples of people who, when a group of people were in trouble or facing difficulties, came to the rescue. Once this person arrived, he took control of the situation and led the group to safety or victory.
British historian Thomas Carlyle ( 1875-1941) was one of the proponents of this theory. He once said, “The history of the world is nothing but the biographies of great men.” What he meant was, “Great men and great leaders can make the world.” He believed that those who are destined to be leaders are born with talent and true qualities. History has shown that many great leaders have emerged with talent. But to say that their leadership qualities were born with them is not to honor them. It is to deny the struggles they have gone through to become great leaders. If leaders are indeed born and not made, then wouldn’t that mean that only a select few are destined to be leaders? So?
