Can Anyone Direct Me to Some Real Leaders?
I’m not talking about the individual that has a lofty title
Where should we turn to in our digital age to find leaders? I’m not talking about the individual that has a lofty title or by merit of some antiquated system holds a position of power.
I’m talking about real leaders.
The thought provoking, inspirational, charismatic and courageous individual that transcends their respective field and propels people towards becoming the best versions of themselves. The kind that can articulate the problems we face and provide a tangible roadmap that we can use to reach solutions. The trailblazers and the groundbreakers.
It is these kinds of leaders that we are in dire need of.
But where to turn?
The individual described above definitely isn’t found within our political establishments. In fact, in recent years one could convincingly argue that these institutions have produced the very opposite. Anti-leaders that generate a following through feeding our insecurities and stoking our fears.
Neither are they found within academia. Too often do the pioneers of thought restrict themselves to their respective niches, advancing fields of knowledge with little regard for the improvement of humankind or the envisioning of a better world.
What about business? Again, are true leaders seldom seen.
The climbing of hierarchies and the quest for power and wealth has taken precedent over the encouragement of creativity, moral growth, virtue and reason.
Perhaps it is the case that the age of leaders has well and truly passed us. The ability to instantaneously communicate with the entirety of the human population might have rendered the role of lead ape obsolete without us realising it.
Granted in our era of unprecedented technological, social and cultural change, it is difficult for anyone to try and explain where we ought to be headed. The multitude of voices that one is subject to everyday makes it much harder to find the ones that actually preach worthy messages.
But I feel as if we can all still derive immense benefit from identifying what it takes to be a real leader — even if today leaders themselves are rarely found.
As pertinently phrased in a recent article by Umair Haque over at Eudaimonia and Co, leadership is not about power but rather empowerment. If each of us endeavors to empower — ourselves and others — we will be manifesting the best aspect of leadership.
Instead of trying to find leaders deserving of our esteem, perhaps we would be better off acting in the role ourselves.
In a world characterised by a constant state of flux and uncertainty about the future, empowering others to achieve self-realisation and discover that we are here for each other will serve as our guiding compass.
