Why do things seem more volatile today?
This is an atypical time in human history. Our perception of what makes a great leader has largely been forgotten.
The current generations, for the most part, have no awareness of what it means to have an exemplary role model. The concept of the hero or heroine, has had one meaning throughout the bulk of human history. This has been completely skewed with the advent the mass media / entertainment industry in the early to mid 1900’s.
The leaders of today
Today the people we admire, follow, and look to for leadership do not fulfill the original definition of leaders. Too many people are enamored by the superficial characteristics they see on screens.
Entertainers should be recognized and admired for their artistry, but they and the audience should know where to draw the line. The entertainers themselves need to remind themselves and their followers of their limitations, while demonstrating wholesome values. Elvis Presley was once asked to comment on the war in Vietnam. He graciously told the reporter that he was an entertainer and would not be qualified to respond.
The original definition
For an accurate and honest exploration of the qualities make for genuine leaders we need to look into world history, actually we need to look quite far back in world history.
Surely leaders should be smart, but what benefit is a brilliant professor if he is too intellectual to know how to communicate his knowledge? A leader in his field of expertise needs to know how to scale down his acumen in order to share his information in a way the student can understand.
A leader has to be caring. It is no coincidence that in ancient times the people recorded as the most successful leaders, all had the same profession before their leadership roles. They were all originally shepherds. This career offered the perfect training to learn the qualities needed to be most effective in guiding groups of people. The concerns of a shepherd are the health and well being of the flock.
Fame, wealth, social media, glory and attention are moot when it comes to real leadership. A knowledgeable shepherd understands that needs are different depending on the demographics. The young lamb needs to feed from places that grow tender young grasses, while mature sheep can digest most vegetation.
Moses, arguably, the greatest leader of ancient times had a serious speech impediment as well as being described as the most humble man to walk the earth.
Perhaps the lesson to learn is to beware of “leaders” and messengers who are suave and sound confident in their tone and mannerisms.
Today with mass and social media, we are in an especially vulnerable place. We need to be cognizant of being lured by a charming or attractive person, or speaker with a confident facade. Anyone with the skills of theatrics can appear credible and convincing. Voice skills, can be mastered with almost hypnotizing allure. The focus needs to be on the message and the deeds.
The true leader needs to be one can who can nullify their ego, and concern themselves only with those who they lead.
It is a sad commentary that this type of leader is so inconceivable in this current environment. We have been living in a world void of real guidance for so long, that we are unaware of what is lacking. Today, more than ever in this narcissistic, social media, driven world we need real heroes, helmsmen, statesmen, that display selfless humility. These people do exist and they can be groomed for the benefit of all. The first step is to recognize that true leadership has been missing for way too long.
