Counting The Cost Of Leadership.

If people understood what a promotion into a leadership position within the organization truly implied, a hesitancy to handle the reins of leadership would forego any traces of excitement.

Leadership, especially among corporations, is mostly viewed from the lens of elitism, superiority and ostentatious segregation; a strict, invite-only exclusive enclave of highly sophisticated beings.

This tragedy has painted a false picture of what the core tenets of true leadership carries, and it is dangerously threading into the mainstream of the leadership conceptions of future leaders, thus warping proper perspectives and creating the potentially vicious dictators of tomorrow.

A sense of solemness is near-prophetically bound to explode within the innards of a leader, upon the contemplation of the intricacies of real leadership. Truly confronting the reality in an honest manner that a leader is one through whom the led walk upon, in order to gallantly enter a victorious horizon, ought to mellow even the most brutish of tyrants. Leadership is the pathway through which those who are led find meaning, colour and purpose for their lives.

The Price Of Leadership

Leadership is costly and commands such a sky-high price that it ought to be trodden upon with caution, trepidation, awe and a sense of sacredness.

True leadership is laden with sacrifices. It runs rife with self-abasement for the benefit of the led.

Real leadership bleeds. Often.

The wounds remain open and the sores hardly ever heal. And what carves the injury in the first place? Nothing, but a deep desire to see those whom your leadership covers develop unto the maturity of their total personhood. Nothing, but an unquenching interest in their affairs, that they may become, under your watch, everything which they were created to be.

Some among your watch fold might be unwilling. Some might be difficult. Still, some might be estranged, and some might be unbending. But among these hard nuts, there are those of whom — as though it were a supposed act of providence — will be willing, will be yielding and will be hungry to feed on the fat of your wealthy places. These latter breed are your real work. The burden of leadership then falls upon your shoulders to take these who are ready to be led by you and to make champions out of them.

It is bearable when an already conspicuous rebel rebels. You had an expectation of it. But it wrenches the heart, leaves a gaping wound, and punctures the very nerves of your leadership essence when one who had demonstrably ascribed allegiance to you, defaults. Can you keep your heart steady as you go after the unruly comrade who has strayed? Can you keep from becoming bitter and developing resentment as you seek to induce him/her back into their deserted place? Will you even be willing to forgive the one who has veered off, and who has created a sense of chaos in the delicate strata of the organization? Here is an aspect, where your mettle as a leader is tested. And the bleeding continues to flow.

Real leadership also lays its life down for the benefit of the led.

If for a moment, you do not think that you could give up your life — literally or figuratively — for the continuance of those whom you lead, if the necessity surfaces, your motives ought to be brought under microscopic inspection.

It might be unsettling when contemplated on the thought of laying your life down, quite possibly dying if the need arises, for the sake of those whom you lead, but this very intention — of the willingness to lay your life down — is really the qualification of leadership. This truth is a cold reality. Only the truly brave dare meddle with real leadership.

A shepherd boy who is worth his salt would not dare abandon his sheep in the face of a predator. If need be, he is willing to be the lunch of the wild beast(s) for the sake of the continued existence of the flock that follow. And yet, society subtly encourages the very opposite.

We see daily in our societies those whom the sacredness of leadership have been entrusted, not only scamper away from those whom they lead in the face of imminent danger, but also ‘eat them up’ for lunch. A high-ranking executive quickly redirects the blame to a follower of lesser repute to save face, in spite of the reality of his most grievous, foregoing error. The new ‘blamee’ gets retrenched. This coward-laced ‘leader’ remains. Guilt-free.

Or, a selfish political figure embezzles funds provided for public use, and murders he/she who has the guts to uncover and attempt to publicize his ills. How gruesome! True leaders lay their lives down for the led, not the other way around.

Real leadership also gives meaning to the lives of the led.

It is not uncommon — in fact, it is quite the norm — to ‘inherit’ a group of people who look to you for leadership. This may have been the result of a promotion within your sphere of work, a sudden appointment into an office of authority or an election into a position of power. However the reins of leadership were handed over, the most important thing to understand is that the seat of authority is for those who seek leadership, and not necessarily for the occupant of the seat.

People look to leadership to find meaning for their lives. They continually seek leaders who can somehow influence the concatenations of the society in which they exist, for their eventual betterment.

The true leader who aims to provide meaning to those who follow, enables them to discover themselves. This real leader understands that a chain of limitation is broken in the inner chambers of the man or woman, boy or girl who has discovered their reason for existing.

This leader then goes on to provide an enabling environment wherein they which follow can develop their potentials to a glittering stagger and deploy these now-polished abilities into suitable outlets that best appreciate their unique contributions and blissfully impact society at large.

In conclusion, the matter of leadership remains dire. A false conception of leadership still lingers in prominence among occupants of seats of power. If anything about real leadership should be learned, it is that an entrustment has been bequeathed upon the shoulders of the bearer of leadership, wherein responsibility for the betterment, progress and prosperity of those who follow is made the topmost priority and everything else, including the leader’s personal ambitions, come second.

C.C Achukwu is a visionary, speaker, writer and the CEO of Uppist, a company he founded to bring a suite of first-class services to African companies, beginning with Leadership and Management education and consulting, in order that they might become the leading global powerhouses of the near-future, thus enabling the continent to reach its fullest economic potentials.

Enquire about his availability to speak to your leadership and management team on [email protected], or call +27 81 713 0321. Visit www.uppist.com to gain an overview of how Uppist can add value to your organization.