Virtue Series 4: THE PLACE OF FIRM RESOLVE IN LEADERSHIP.
Ever taking time to study the
environment where a lily grows? Or the life of a pig?
You will notice something similar
with these two illustrations. Irrespective of how dirty and miry the clay or
the surrounding maybe, even when the debris are stinking and concentrated, the
Lily springs forth out of firm resolve not only to survive, but to be NEAT. The
Pig doesn’t care how regular you wish to bath it. In fact, it doesn’t care
about how many miles away you had to travel to get the water. It could be
humble enough and considerate in letting you clean her up, but she has a
resolve that supersedes patience to always be a PIG – Dirty!
As a leader, you are saddled with
the responsibility to guide a group of people in achieving a given task. In the
course of this journey, there will always be distractions and side attractions
that will question your passion, and want to deviate you from the track. How
will you handle them? There will be times when you will face oppositions that
aim at denting your image, getting you take irrational decisions with grave
consequences. Abandoning the right thing for trivial pop-ups. What will your
response be?
There are times when saying the
truth will appear detrimental to your success. Compromising your stance will
appear to be the best diplomatic option for success. When going against ethical
and moral principles will appear the best bet for inclusion and acceptance in a
higher pedestal of influence. Will you trade your integrity for anything?
A leader without firmness of
Resolution will lose his integrity and crumble into pieces that may not be
easily fixed up. Having a firm resolve makes you true to your words, reliable
and trustworthy. It makes you rational in analyzing information for success. It
saves you the regrets that comes with multiple suggestions that drifts you way
from the truth. A leader with a firm resolve weights suggestions on the
balances of his Aims and Objectives before taking decision. He finds his
decisions always in line with the mission and vision statement of his course.
He is not easily blown away by the intelligence and sophistication of a
suggestion that is only a facade at close analysis.
Having a firm resolve in
leadership doesn’t entail stifling the creative contributions of the followers.
No!!! It does not promote autocracy in leadership, in fact that is rulership.
It does not shut up the led from giving suggestions that will advance the
course. It does not take away the place of flexibility in leadership. It rather
makes a leader to be critical in analyzing suggestions and ensuring
trivialities does not change or affect the successful achievement of goals. It
makes the leader and the led pay attention to details, set their eyes on the
goal, and remain focused until it is attained. Alfred North Whitehead said "True courage is not the brutal force of vulgar heroes, but the firm resolve of virtue and reason",
A resolved mind is limitless and
99% more successful that an easily distracted leader.
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