09 May 2007

Leadership and balance

Image Hosted by ImageShack.usI sometimes wonder to what amount the seeking of leaders is good for humans? Or should I say seeking leadership?
Whenever a leader is near, many humans seem to see this as a justification to stop thinking. They no longer try to lead themselves, but blindly follow the rules the so called leader has created. The rules become untouchable and unchangeable, no matter what the consequences of using those rules.
A few questions come to mind though: “How come humans stop with thinking, the moment a “leader” is near?” And “How come leaders think, that other humans can not think?”

The strange thing however is, that leadership in itself is not bad, if applied correctly. Leaders can set an example for other people, so they can become more than what they are. They can help others to achieve more. They can motivate others to reach higher, than they would on their own. They can help humans to live in peace with each other. That is the good side of leadership.

However leadership also has a bad side. To much help wil lead to dependency and humans, that no longer can help themselves. To much motivation leads to humans that are not able to motivate themselves. To much example leads to demotivated humans, that crawl away in a corner fearful, waiting for the world to forget about them. To much peace leads to humans that in complacency let themselves slide into lazy waiters for what else can be received. And that is some of things that can happen next to what could happen to the leader him- or herself. Something Lord Acton described as following: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Leadership seems to be a high rope act. You need to find the balance between to much and to little leadership and that for everyone you lead. Luckily leadership does not really need to be a precise art, as I made it look. It is more of a balancing act on a foot broad wall top. But still you can fall of on either side of the wall and only if you stay on the wall you well reach the desired effects. The problem however seems be, that the wall gets steeper and steeper as you walk over it. As if the wall knows that you get better at keeping your balance.