I found a short article on leadership that I wrote in the past for my webpage, which is since lost... This is the article:
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What must a leader of men do? Here, I shall restrict my scope to the military, the one place where I am most able to speak in. And I shall use my own job as a guideline, which means I will be talking from the view point of an officer.
A leader leads. That is simple, or at least it seems that way. But how does one lead? That is the age old question. A leader has to lead by example. Yet he also has to know that he is not omniscient, that there are some things beyond him. Yet he has to make his men do some of those things that he cannot do.
He must be where he can make the best use of his abilities. A leader need not always be at the front setting an example and leading his men into the fray. No, sometimes, he has to let his men go out front while he stays behind. He must realise where he is most needed and be there.
A good leader also learns to make himself dispensable. He makes his men independent of him, because he is only one man. A good leader has to teach his men to go on without him. He trains his men to be able to take charge in case he falls.
Training. A leader must train. He trains his men to survive and to think. He trains them in the art of war, yet he also must train them in the arts of peace. He must teach his men to be able to handle all situations so that they don't escalate into war. He teaches his men confidence, to believe in themselves.
A leader inspires his men to give their best, to be willing to sacrifice their time and their lives. He gives them a purpose in being, he gives them a sense of belonging. He makes his men proud of themselves, in their work and in their beliefs.
He must also care for his men, and see to it that they grow and learn to become better persons, not just better professionals. He sees that they have an environment conducive to their work.
The job of a leader never ends. It only grows.
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What must a leader of men do? Here, I shall restrict my scope to the military, the one place where I am most able to speak in. And I shall use my own job as a guideline, which means I will be talking from the view point of an officer.
A leader leads. That is simple, or at least it seems that way. But how does one lead? That is the age old question. A leader has to lead by example. Yet he also has to know that he is not omniscient, that there are some things beyond him. Yet he has to make his men do some of those things that he cannot do.
He must be where he can make the best use of his abilities. A leader need not always be at the front setting an example and leading his men into the fray. No, sometimes, he has to let his men go out front while he stays behind. He must realise where he is most needed and be there.
A good leader also learns to make himself dispensable. He makes his men independent of him, because he is only one man. A good leader has to teach his men to go on without him. He trains his men to be able to take charge in case he falls.
Training. A leader must train. He trains his men to survive and to think. He trains them in the art of war, yet he also must train them in the arts of peace. He must teach his men to be able to handle all situations so that they don't escalate into war. He teaches his men confidence, to believe in themselves.
A leader inspires his men to give their best, to be willing to sacrifice their time and their lives. He gives them a purpose in being, he gives them a sense of belonging. He makes his men proud of themselves, in their work and in their beliefs.
He must also care for his men, and see to it that they grow and learn to become better persons, not just better professionals. He sees that they have an environment conducive to their work.
The job of a leader never ends. It only grows.
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