Can the "Weak" take on Leadership challenges?

A female employee - "No, no, I can't do it. I am just a girl. This seems to be that kind of a job which only males can do. It looks like so much of hard work."

A student - "How will I be able to lead so many other students of my university? We are all of the same age! No matter how talented I am but a leader should be an older person, right? A Senior should be vying for the position of President in the student council."

Aspiring political leader - "I want to do something for my community and the only way to do that is by becoming a political leader. Political leaders 'only' have the resources and power to do anything. But I am scared of taking such a big step plus I need to invest a lot of money, it is a big risk."

Any other person: "Why would anyone listen to me? I am just an ordinary person. How can I exercise Leadership? Plus leaders are born, leadership is an inborn quality."

Sounds familiar? You just might be one of them!

We happen to hear these statements very frequently by all those around us. All these misconceptions about leadership still exists and you will be amazed to learn that according to a recent survey by Deloitte on Human Capital Trends, very few people know what Leadership actually is, let alone exercising leadership. The misconceptions that have been stated above eventually lead to the creation of fear to the concept of Leadership.

What is Leadership? - It is the action of leading/ guiding/ influencing a group of people or an organization. (Google also gives us the synonyms of the word Leadership like controlling or dominating. Controlling and dominating are "styles of leadership" but not Leadership itself. So it is important for us to know how to differentiate between these two.)

In today's article I will be talking about leadership on a personal level and also about leading others. I have used the word "weak" in the title to express the weakness or incapability that we allow ourselves to feel when every single person is capable of taking on challenges. Have you ever dared to take on a challenge that you always thought you are incapable of or allowed yourself to take the leap of faith? In reality we never dare to test ourselves. Our society plays a big role in shaping a persons mentality. From birth, people are differentiated based on their cast, religion & race. We grow up hearing- girls can do this and boys can do that. We gather perspectives from our parents, relatives and people surrounding us and eventually our personality is shaped. Our personality is a summation of all our experiences and peoples perspectives about life in general. So, if all our life we have been told what is right and wrong and what we are capable of, it becomes a herculean task to break out of that and exercise leadership on a personal level. But it is not impossible. From my personal experience I can assure you that taking big risks is not wise but taking calculated risks are worthy. You need to identify and be well aware of your strengths and also your weaknesses. Invest on your strengths and try to minimize your weaknesses. Take smaller challenges which you definitely know you will be able to accomplish. After you have achieved that go for the next level, aim for something higher, something more rewarding. If you follow this trend and set new benchmarks at certain intervals after a certain period of time you will be amazed of how much you have achieved.

About leading others, there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding this issue. Some believe leaders are born not made while others believe you need to be of a certain age to lead others. It is true that for some leading others is a natural capacity, they tend to do really well in inspiring others. But these people are just few exceptions but the vast majority of people are those where the real potential of "made leaders" lies. So, how to become a leader?

• Be aware of your Strength and Weakness: What motivates you? What impact you have on others? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What story do You have to engage others? Are your actions in line with your promises? Does your life style motivate others? Sorry to say, only very few can judge themselves accurately.
• Be a Good Listener: Listening is the foundation to build a good relationship. The power of listening opens you up in gathering new information, everyone around us continually gives us clues both subtle and overt. This way you can improvise what you have already learnt and brush up your pre-existing notions. This way you can hone your skills as a leader.
• Invite Suggestions and Feedback: How others perceive you is very important in becoming more self aware about yourself. Take honest suggestions and feedback from learned individuals. They will be able to provide a mirror image of you for you to become better at leading others.

Always look for opportunities to improve yourself and never give up on your dreams. As always said, if you are facing difficulty in achieving your goals, then change your plan, not your goals. Keep shining.

Did you like what you just read?

Then don't forget to Like, Share and Comment on this article.

I write articles every Friday @11 Bangladesh Time. So, don't forget to check my profile and keep yourself updated by following me on LinkedIn, Twitter: glam_shorno and Facebook: Tazrian.shorno

You can also read my other articles here A New Chapter: My Language and Coaching Center, Are our Students Ready Enough: Importance of ECA, Tough Job of being Perfect for Social Acceptance.

Want to learn more about Leadership then contact @Shorno's Learning Center and join the Business Communication and Leadership Course. Call +88-01717857722 for details or just inbox me in LinkedIn.