Transformational Leadership

The series of alphabets in English language always start with the letter ‘A’. No one in the history has ever challenged as to why it starts with only ‘A’ and not with ‘Z’. All the other letters follow only after the letter ‘A’. It seems to be an obvious fact, but from this very place, a phenomenal word called ‘Leader’ has coined out to rule the world. Taking the present context, it becomes redundant to say that ‘A’ is the leader of the alphabetical series.

In a routine march drill, people will perform the action only after their instructor gives a call. Here, instructor plays the role of an initiator. All the people follow his/her call. A leader starts one’s journey by being an initiator among a group. Initiators never crave for people to follow them. They are always accompanied by a group of people who come purely on their own choice. The leaders are not restricted to only the human-beings. The animals, birds and plants also have a leader amongst them as Lion, Eagle, and Dieffenbachia are known to be the leaders of animals, birds and plants respectively.

One can witness inspirational, motivating, charismatic and transformational qualities embedded in an ideal leader. They are responsible for spinning a change in the system. When women were once seen to be restricted only to house-holds, came people like Jhansi Laxmi Bai, Sarojini Devi, Mother Teresa, etc to bring a revolution in the world. They have ushered a path for the future leaders to follow. The current leaders like Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Biocon Chief; Sonia Gandhi, All India Congress Committee Chief and Chanda Kochhar, ICICI Bank Chairperson have tread the same path and are now listed among the most influential women in the world for their accomplishments.

Leaders are not born, they are made. Leaders are not dropped from the so-called ‘World of Elixir’. They come from our very own surroundings and people. Mostly the situations give rise to a leader. Right from Adolf Hitler to the recent Barrack Obama, all have come from the common people. It’s their unrelenting resolve that made them the world-captivating leaders.

A transformation has both extremes. It might be for either good or the bad motives. A leader acts like a vanguard to the ever-surging ship called Life. He/she is responsible for both the smooth sail and the sinking of the ship. All leaders are managers but not all managers can become leaders. This is the doctrine employed by the management gurus like C.K.Prahlad, Bill Gates, and Jack Welch who are highly successful in their fields. They are the role models to many people because of their deeds. In the wake of all these, it would not be an exaggeration to term a leader éminence grise.

Bottom-Line:

The world remembers the names of influential and charismatic leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Subash Chandra Bose, etc… forever irrespective of the generations. An ideal leader will always be aware of the fact that his/her actions are responsible for the people’s lives. The thing one should take from a leader is whether one is willing to be remembered (obviously for the good reasons) by the future generations. If that gets rooted in one’s conscience, nothing can stop one to become a true leader.

One can make out a word for every letter in the word ‘Leader’ as L for Learner, E for Earner, A for Adapter, D for Developer, E for Energizer and R for Racer. It’s purely based on one’s perception but that can’t just be written off, for, it’s a fact! The words might differ but the essence can’t be altered. So, a leader is a dealer in hope! Don’t look for a leader…Be a leader and lead your life…with it, one can automatically pave a path to others’ lives.