The purpose and intent of a true leader shall be to elevate mankind’s faith, and to fill the world with justice — Maimonides, Laws of Kings
By: Sirir Gabriel Yiei Rut Thijoak
January 10, 2015 (SSNA) — At some point in our lives, we have all had a relationship with someone — a parent, a teacher, or employer perhaps — who greatly changed the way we look at life and the world. Someone who had high standards and truly stood for something, someone who inspired and motivated us. Someone who taught us to set goals and instilled the confidence and spirit to achieve them. Such a person is a true leader.
Today, we are surrounded by people we may call leaders — in government, in business, in education, in the arts. But we are suffering from a scarcity of genuine leadership. Where are these people really leading us, and why?
After witnessing so much deceit and such frequent abuse of power, many people have stopped trusting their leaders. Still, no matter how cynical we may grow, we resign ourselves to the fact that we need someone to keep our various houses in order. Since we are so preoccupied with our own lives, we are willing to elect or appoint officials to manage the affairs of the land.
But is a leader merely a manager? What should we expect from our leaders? And do we really need leaders in the first place?
Yes, we do need leaders. On our own, we lack the vision, direction, and strength to reach our goals. We all begin our lives in need of guidance – even the most precocious child could not possibly be expected to make certain crucial decisions. Once we become adults, with the capacity to reason for ourselves, we are so overwhelmed by the pressures of daily survival that we rarely find the time and energy to focus on life’s larger issues. And when we do, our emotions and inherent subjectivity limit our vision and constrict our movement.
A leader provides a new perspective, inspiring us to abandon our narrow field of vision. When we are preoccupied with our self-interests – be they petty or great – a leader sends out a wake-up call, alerting us to seek the true priorities in life.
This sense of urgency is just as important in a leader as a sense of vision. Leadership today is sorely lacking the quality of urgency. Many of our leaders are effective managers, and some are even inspirational; we have CEO’s who can direct thousands of employees toward a single objective, and politicians whose rhetoric inspires millions of citizens to support them.
What these leaders don’t provide is simple – and essential: a vision of life itself. Genuine leadership must give people a long-term vision that imbues their lives with meaning; it must point them in a new direction and show how their every action is an indispensable part of a purposeful whole. It is not enough for our leaders to teach us to be productive or efficient; they need to inspire us to change or improve the world in a productive, meaningful way. And this creates a compelling sense of urgency: to fulfill this vision of life.
To be continue……………………………………………
Cde. Sirir Gabriel Yiei Rut is a writer and commentator and He is the Chairman of SPLM Youth League Chapter in Egypt he can be simply reach through [email protected]