Leadership and Philosophy: 4 Steps to be a Good Leader in 21st Century
Having the power to lead a group of people could be a double-edged sword; one side could be subtly satisfying to have the control amongst others, and the other could fireback to our own leadership image.
How to be considered as good leader in a world which filled by innovative and proactive people as in the 21st century?
First you want power — since the idea of being in charge is always seducting — then you pursue it.
Once you’ve reached the throne, things got a little more chaotic in your head. Dilemma is now your new best friend. You always feel that your “people” would jurrist your leadership in every single thing you do.
Italian Renaissance Philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli once said,
“It is much safer to be feared than loved,”
Nonetheless, in what sense it would be safer to be feared by your members?
To what extent being loved by your people could trigger more harm than goods?
There are 4 things you have to acknowledge in shaping yourself to be one great leader, and I will connect the them with philosophers’ proven hypothesis.
1. You’re the Leader? Act Like One.
In an interview by Vice in October 2013, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek was being asked what would happen if everyone could have the chance to put on the “They Live” glasses that could see through the reality of the world.
He then gave one example about a typical boss who uses the “social game” to pretend that they are friends with their members.
“The first step to liberation is to force him to really behave like a boss.
To tell him ‘No, f*ck you, no comradeship! Treat me as a boss, give me explicit orders!’ and so on,” — Slavoj Žižek
By all means, if you want to be treated with respect as a leader, you have to position yourself as one. Being friends with your members will give you further confusion on how to differentiate between your personal and professional circumstances.
This distorted relations amongst you and your colleagues could also lead to numerous disagreements and conflicts since you are both their friends and boss.
2. Always Try to Lift Your Members Up.
As normal as it sounds, your members might experience difficulties, human errors, and demotivation once in awhile.
Your role as a leader might have a distinct place in their judgement, as it goes both ways how your words or actions will be able to lift or drag them down. Furthermore you always have the choice to add more supportive force to their determination.
Sometimes as a leader you probably shift your focus merely on the results, and often miss the small details during the process. With the power that you withold sometimes you perhaps feel entitled to receive the great outcome since its not your job to look through the small details.
Yes, you are in control. Yet, if you are expecting a maximum output, you have to also put more attention to the process, since they are not robots.
“The measure of a man is what he does with power.” — Plato
Double-checking what they have done, or small things like words of encouragement will boost your members’ performance without you even realizing.
You do not need to be loved, or praised. Nor you have to love and praise them, what is important is the fact that people will work better when they feel appreciated.
3. Set the Example.
As the figure whom being looked up to, it is important to set the great example before expecting your members to do as great as your expectation.
You are now expecting your members to dress professional at work, be punctual, and respect each other. Yet, sometimes you arrived at work late whilst wearing your ripped jeans. By seeing this, your members would feel demotivated to come early and they would start wearing jeans as well.
Ever heard the phrase of why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
Exactly.
Start doing more within yourself instead of focusing on what to expect from your members. Set the example, and you bet! You will see your members doing better than you expected.
“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” — Alexander the Great
4. Being Aware of Your Rights and Responsibilities.
You are in power.
Now you see that power is not something infinite. Someone better might come to replace you. Your members might do better than you. Your company might go bankrupt. Your members could perform so bad to the extent that you could lose your throne and reputation. A pandemic could come and eliminate you and your members. Many more possibilities could take over your current position.
Nonetheless, what can you do to accentuate your leadership as a great one? To do your responsibilities and enjoy your rights equally.
“The struggle for power is universal in time and space and is an undeniable fact of experience.” — Hans Morgenthau
Being a leader is both about giving and receiving.
To organize your team affairs and to give order.
You do not sleep at night sketching down your strategies, your members do not sleep at night to execute your ideas.
It is always go both ways and balance is the key.
To be a good leader is beyond giving a good orders to follow.
To be a good leader is beyond the title of being in charge.
Human communication and relations are complex and there are numerous layers beneath the surface.
To be a good leader is about understanding what is it about and how you are focusing on yourself and how it reflects to your followers.
