In a way, yes leadership is an art. You just can't pull a book off the shelf and study such a quality. Many ingredients are needed to become a leader. Just look at Obama. Get past the fact that he has a percentage of African American lineage and you will see that this man has walked a path that many have attempted but so few have crossed that finish line. When we look at the people that are consider leaders in our communities, what makes them a leader? Well, when I was younger (and I use the term loosely, haha!) I always had the thought that the elder residents had a say in the way things were run around the community. In my hometown my next door neighbor was Ms. Clora. And being the matriarch of her family, she didn't have a problem letting the children of the community know what is right and what was wrong. And the sad thing about it... our parents agreed with her. So if Ms. Clora were to come upon the knowledge that you got into a fight, she would patch you up and then tell you parents when you got home. Back then, I would have called it being a nosy busybody, but now I look back and realize that she was showing concern for our safety and love for the future of the community. Back in the days... ain't nothing better!
But in today's age of information, seniority is not the only quality one has to have to be considered a leader. Knowledge is an essential tool needed to direct one's community. My greatest example of such a statement in action would be Pastor Eddie Bishop Long. Now, I am not going to go into the whole line of tragic events that have recently been discovered about this man, but the fact that he has cometo grips with the situation and is still "guiding his flock" is an amazing feat! His method of combining biblical and real life lessons is probably the greatest reason why his congregation numbers in the thousands. Knowledge is everything and the ability to not only receive, but to distribute that information in the way that your followers can be convinced that their participation is important is again a great tool to have.
Being socially active has always been an important factor in being a leader. One cannot just post a blog, update his/her Facebook status, or tweet every 15 minutes and instantly have a following. A leader shows his/her face in the most important events... the events that the followers will be present! And at such events, the leader shows his determination to become part of the community and shows that he/she is not just face designed to console and ease the problem with sugar coated solutions.
Being a leader also means to have an understanding that people under you or following you have some common sense. They also have the ability to carry your ideas or burn them. It just depends on how you look at them. Those people that help you can be the greatest weapon in achieving you goals. Yes, it might take some honing and some sharpening of the edges, but in the end you can possess a reliable asset that will come in handy in the greatest of challenges.
I am not saying that all people are made out to be leaders. And in this entry, I have just named a few qualities that make a leader. Pending on the situations at hand and the challenge ahead of you, what you ask your team might vary. Just remember the "GOLDEN RULE":
"Do unto others as you would have done to yourself"
R E S P E C T
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