My thoughts on Leadership

by Ruby Tan Mei Kin

Leadership to me will always be more than a solemn mandate to spearhead and lead a particular group or organization. Does it make one a leader - with hands on hips and barking instructions, alternately dishing out praises or reprimands? No, I believe true leaders, whether that of a big multinational organization, or a modest non-profit one, have something extra within them. That extra something which convinces us that it is worth to follow their lead whole-heartedly.

To this day, I cannot say that I have fully understood or captured the essence of what exactly makes an ordinary person an extraordinary leader. However, through serving the Buddhist community, I have the opportunity to work closely with dedicated individuals who constantly strive to achieve greater heights, and who invariably display powerful and inspirational qualities to pull or push others towards the set goals.

It is quite evident that good leaders always have a clear idea of what is to be done and what is to be achieved. They would draw up a concise plan of action and would then always refer to it often so as not to lose track of their goals. They also stay on top of their work. Before embarking on a new challenge, they would always try to find out what others before them had done that succeeded or failed. This gives them the edge, the best chance of success. In short, they never stop learning and never stop thinking.

Leading by example is another common virtue among good leaders. They demand commitment and excellence from people around them but no one ever worked harder than the good leaders themselves. They would arrive first and leave last. They know how to have fun but also realise how crucial it is to separate work from play in order to strike a balance for better results. Such individuals also take great care of people around them. They know everyone personally and are genuinely concerned over the welfare of others. They would readily accept criticism but would generously deflect any praise back to the people who helped contribute to the success in the first place.

The list of qualities and virtues which good leaders should possess is not exhaustive. But the few mentioned in brief above may just provoke us to reflect on our speech, thought and action in our effort to achieve our set objectives.