Hey reader,

This journey of understanding and decoding life has been more beautiful and exciting than I have ever thought. It has been so amazing that my very good friend has also joined me and will be helping me in decoding this beautiful life more precisely. So, here I welcome, Ayushi, who will be the Editor for all my blogs from now onwards. She is a hard-o-smart work oriented person and currently a student at JNU, Delhi.

Leadership, we all have heard this word. But, what is it? Let’s decode it.

By dictionary, leadership means “the action of leading a group of people or an organization, or the ability to do this.”  We are always taught, right from our childhood to become a leader, like Gandhi, Teresa, Bhagat Singh, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, etc. We are often told about their success stories and how they did it all. We are also taught how to become a good leader and what leadership qualities one needs to possess to become a good leader.

“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”
Alexander the Great

I believe, there are two important feelings for good leadership. One is the feeling of significance, pride, and status, which the leader should identify himself/herself with. Second is the feeling of intimacy and trust, which the followers of the leader must perceive.

A leader can feel like a leader only when he gets the required recognition for his actions from the people, precisely from his followers. Have you ever met someone and felt nervous while meeting them? Or have you met someone who was nervous about meeting you? There is a concept of alpha humans, which I think many people know. If you are nervous about meeting someone, then he is the alpha (the boss, the leader). If someone else was nervous about meeting you, then you are the alpha (the boss, the leader). The respect you give to the alphas is something that makes them feel like an alpha. So, the recognition of a leader’s stature is essential for him/her to become a leader in the first place.

Although, just recognition is not enough. The alpha/leader must be able to gain the trust of his/her followers that in case something dangerous or any problem comes into their way, then he/she will be the one facing them at front. Thus, the leader needs to build this trust and make his/her followers feel safe whether it be in school, college, society or in any organization.

“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is a danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.”
Nelson Mandela

If the leader is recognized by its followers and the followers feel safe and trust the leadership, then you have to believe that it as a good system. But, in case any of these supports are missing, then the system might collapse anytime.

Till now, everything seems fine, no problem, right?…. WRONG! 

Leadership is all about taking a bold initiative, bringing up a movement, bringing up a change in the society. It’s about the cause! But, the biggest problem is, even though we are told and taught to become a leader, we are seldom allowed to become one. In fact, more often than not we are asked to follow a leader but not to become one!

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.“
Martin Luther King, Jr.

People, especially the parents and teachers, are more comfortable if someone else’s child is becoming a leader. They, however, do not support much if their own child wants to take the bold initiative. Obviously, this is not always the case. There are some who do support such traits, but surely not all of them. Don’t agree?

Consider that you are taking a part in the initiative which is for a good cause but is directly against the system. Who hasn’t heard about the college protests! How many of you participated in it with your parents/ teachers permissions? Not many, right? Ayushi, on this, asked me how do teachers stop us? They, in fact, always favor the monitors or the class representatives and thus invariably support the leadership skills. Good question and totally agreed! Now, let’s go to a scene from the movie “3 Idiots”, where VIRUS (the Principal) calls Farhan and Raju to his room who were supporting Rancho to implement the education system. VIRUS compares the family incomes of both with that of Rancho and threatens them for the ill effects this will have in their career and thus stops them from supporting the illogical (in his sense) notion of changing the system. This is how teachers at times fail to support the initiatives taken by students.

“The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.”
Ralph Nader

A leader is not a leader by birth. A leader is made out of us. Hence, to have better leaders we need to develop a suitable environment as well, starting from our home itself. Let’s go to pre-independent Indian era. Bhagat Singh was sentenced to death for his daring acts in Indian Independence movements. His mother was proud of his sacrifice and wished if she could give more Bhagat Singh to the nation. If she can be bold enough, then why can’t we be? What if she had stopped him from fighting for India’s independence?

Charity begins at home. Parents need to make their child bold enough to raise their voices against each and every odds in the society and motivate them/ support them to follow the good causes as well as in taking initiatives.

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”
Margaret Fuller