Virtue Series 9: Moderation in Leadership.

To so many,  it sounds counterintuitive to talk about moderation and leadership at the same time. 

This weird feeling is most often seen in people whose perspective of leadership is that of "authority and power". Leadership is really beyond coercion of will but achievement of goals.

However,  the place of moderation generally in life cannot be downplayed, not to talk about it's place in leadership.

Effective leaders understand that moderation transcends finding a middle ground in decision making, but culminates into skillfully circum-navigating and managing the complexities leadership poses without being overwhelmed by its challenges.

A leader needs to imbibe moderation in every thing he does if he must avoid extreme polarization which has become the norm in today's society. He must learn to curtail his expenses even when he has it in excess. He needs to be moderate in his expression and reactions to avoid creating indelible scars and regrets.

Moderation makes you strike a good balance between people of extreme temperament, diplomatically work with them and avoid friction/clashes. It helps you see things from the lens of the average person in the society, hence making your decisions worthwhile and more relevant.

Quinn McDowell had this to say about moderation in leadership;

"...Moderate leaders strive to find a series of balances and proportions while staying true to their convictions."

This truth may not be better put than this.

He went further to say that "...Leaders that embrace moderation learn to develop the discipline to be passionate about their goals, but cool-headed in the realization of those goals. In that sense, moderation helps us become more dynamic leaders."

This is worthy enough to let you know that leadership entails alot of complexities,  tensions,  varying opinions,  distinct personalities,  correlated ideas that must be properly harnessed by a good leader to make things work. 

You need moderation to fill the gaps with the varying ideas with apt control of idea conflicts while achieving your leadership goals.