A probable question that mostly we don’t ask. Do we really need leaders? How does one differentiate from the other in terms of leadership?

The leader is the one who takes his people from the valley of known to the dream peak

A leader is none other than a common man. A man who has the same tissues and brain, same sort of feelings, shows vulnerability and has the same emotions like any of us. A leader is never born. There is no one with born leadership trait. It’s all in the permission one gives to a thought to follow. A thought of so called known vision. The reason it’s called a know vision is of the reason one believes in it at a certain point in time. Then puts the action in place and works tirelessly to reach that vision.

The leader is the one who shows vitality and vigor to reach the vision. Goals are part of the vision for the leader. That’s the not the end result. Every leader’s vision is always not specific but wide in its view. They device an approach which they feel is right to reach the vision. One of the challenge is in bringing the consensus amongst the people to follow the vision.

This leads to a question, when I follow a vision, can I be a leader? Why not? For a simple man or woman, like manager at work, or coffee seller at a coffee shop or a student who dreams of getting a high paid job or the sweeper etc. Let’s take the example of the sweeper. A sweeper’s purposeful vision would be to ensure his family is able to have the minimum commitment of food, cloth and shelter in place; to provide education for his children and to lead a calm life.

When the sweeper works tirelessly towards the vision of building and nurturing this, he or she is a purposeful human in its own right. Then when does he or she become the leader? When the same sweeper adheres to the integrity of life as its core principle and starts to think, that it’s not only a necessity of calm life for himself or herself but also for the peers in his work needs to be established. When one starts to think this way and act upon it, in their circle of influence, he or she become a leader.

When such a transition happens, within oneself to support the fellow humans with the best of his or her capability, a leader is in place. Now assume, when every one starts to think this way and acts, it brings a massive change in oneself. A change within the community. That change leads to the fundamental question – When such a change happens,

Do we need leaders?

Basically, what has happened is that, the moment we see someone with a thought process for a larger cause, we start to acknowledge their views. We start to follow and support their opinions. We start to believe. This belief is the culprit. Because, once you start to believe, you don’t start to think. Belief leads to blind follow. That’s where we have this term blind faith. Faith is nothing but a strong belief on to something.

Let’s take a pause and allow this thought to digest in you. Isn’t that we can also think? Can’t we also try to expand the core purpose of us to support a human? When we start to build this cycle of support for one human, we are building the real human chain. A chain we know, that we are linked by similarities of physical and emotional appearances and needs. When we start to think and act on this, where is the necessity for the leaders?

We all have the capability to think. A thought becomes powerful, when you allow it catch a link. The link is the action. A thought becomes thinking, when it catches one’s mind. A host. A host on which it can influence upon and make one to act. The one who caught on to that influence acts. While others, just dump their thoughts. We perceive the thoughts through his or her action. Because action easily influences a mind than a powerful thought.

For example, as you read this blog, when it creates a spark of thought, then that’s something you need to catchup on. That’s kindling of one’s own mind. When I record this and deliver as a speech or as an enactment, then it becomes an action. An action didn’t kindle your own thought. A thought that projects me in your mind based upon your perception and created a thought that, whatever he said seems right. This action influenced your thought to follow mine. The more action I do, then it becomes a belief. A belief that eventually turns into blind faith.

Thus, it’s a thought that you had allowed, to project another thought of belief. The principles that you had acknowledged at your first go as the rightful ones. The principles which we never questioned. As to why?

Relating back to the quote mentioned above, a leader is the one who takes his people from the valley of known to the dream peak. Isn’t that we actually gave the power to a common man to become a leader?. Isn’t that we believed in the vision set by someone as the probable best one and started to follow it?. Isn’t that we then blindly started to build the faith and trust on these leaders?

Well, if that’s the case why did we leave our thoughts?. Our own thoughts that guides us to build us for our family. Our own thoughts that navigates us through tough times. It’s because not everyone is brought up in the same way. Though everyone is born in the same way not everyone builds themself up in the same way. A person, who had seen the plight of her people, her society, her community gives the power to her thought. How can I change this? That powerful thought leads to thinking. A thinking that results in actions. Actions that are hardship to her. But she carries with the vigor and vitality to endure. This makes her a leader, because we are not prepared for this. We feel, that we cannot endure. We fear, we fail. We constraint ourselves by the boundary of societal standards and norms.

Assume, you are in the middle of a city. In a city in the midnight. There is not much traffic around. There is also not much people around. You are lost in the city to reach your destination. You have the route, google maps in hand but you can’t figure it out. You get a thought to ask someone. You figure out by searching and reaching the nearest shop or a taxi driver to get the guidance. A thought to ask. A brave step to start. That’s how a leader is born. Taking the first step. Not large steps. Small step of bravery. But continuously.

When you acknowledge that you can give power to the thought, then you can become a leader. When everyone gives power to the thought, they start their thinking process. A process that can lead to action. When such an action of embracing a vision for the betterment of fellow human happens, you become a leader.

Thus, it leads to our first question.

Why do we need leaders?