Leadership is an art not a science, a complex emotional and physical state that produces persons who see beyond the obvious, who dare to do it, who motivate others and who will make sacrifices for the greater good. Leadership is a word that is commonly used but if you think about it, real leaders are not common. The nature, nurture argument still rages on, but I think both are true, leaders are born, and leaders are made.
As the crisis that is Covid-19 bludgeons its way across the world, the response by leaders has been many and varied. The natural born leaders already in leadership positions rise to the occasion; they make the tough decisions, they provide support to their constituents and employees, they motivate their peers, they lead from the front or the back as the situation necessitates. Yes, they experience anxiety and stress, but they still manage to instill hope and trust and they embrace and promote the new reality. You find these persons in government, media, the church, schools, businesses and families. They work to stay in step or ahead of the crisis.
The leaders who were placed in leadership positions not because of their skills, acumen or personality start to flounder, display inadequate foresight, each hurdle is a mountain, each decision small or large becomes a massive effort, fraught with ego tripping and power play. These are also the same “leaders” who in the past got rid of persons below them who dared to question their decisions or offered differing opinions. After all, their insecurity has to remain a secret at all cost. They are not anxious or stressed, those would be signs of weakness. For them the crisis is winning and their Waterloo is imminent.
And then there are those, not in leadership positions, may be close to leaders or not at all but who possess vision, insight , empathy and most of all potential. They may be Millennials, they may be Boomers, they may be Introverts, they may be Extroverts, but they have not been given the opportunity, the occasion has never sought them out, some have stayed away from the limelight but cometh the crisis, cometh the leader. Their quiet calm now becomes an enviable strength, their outspokenness now seen as bold and decisive, their caring manner now heralded as kind and empathetic, their need to analyze now becomes respected as cautious and careful decision making. They too are anxious and stressed but who they are and who they have always been begins to take on a leadership shine.
Let’s not wait for the crisis to be over, let’s not wait for the next crisis. Great leaders develop leaders, let’s identify potential, let’s coach and train them , let’s develop real leaders, we need them now more than ever.
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