The leadership Myth: Lion or Wolf or neither?
“Remember who you are.”, said Mustafa. This kept reminding Simba that he is the son of a king, the only king of the Jungle. And even after being a cub whose footprints don’t come even close to his father’s, Simba knew that he must accept the truth, and take the mantle. He must believe in himself. “There’s more to being a king than getting your way all the time.” This was the line that remained with me. If you are still scratching your head, I am talking about the animated masterpiece The Lion King.
THE USUAL METAPHOR
We all are often given the metaphors of being a lion while we face a challenge, before a fight, before we stand on the platform to lead, to motivate, to reminding ourselves that we are meant to lead, to realise that we have strength. Countries including India has Lion as their Nation Emblem. It was the sigil of House Lannister. The lion is the embodiment of braveness, honour, and willpower, and don’t get me wrong, I am not questioning the qualities a Lion possess especially in a place where only the fit can survive, literally. Neither I am telling you to not learn these traits. I am just acknowledging the fact that since this world is no less than a Jungle now, we have perpetually fed ourselves with the same story over and over. To survive, we must become a lion, right?
We never thought about the possibility of being someone else, some other animal to compare ourselves to. This confinement and self-created limitation is the very reason we flushed off the opportunity to learn differently about the space. Since this metaphor is a culture, it is not our fault that we are unable to see the other side, that we do not think one step ahead of this Lion superiority concept.
“Lions don’t lose sleep over the opinions of sheep”, → Tywin Lannister | Game of Thrones
But let me provide a different perspective. Ever seen a Lion working in a team? Does a Lion ever hunt to feed some other animal than his own family? Are you sure a Lion lead? Or the word you are looking for is RULE.
LEADERSHIP: THE TRUTH
Leadership, as I see it, is not just about being a front runner and doing everything for and by yourself. Leadership, in context with current world problems, needs cooperation. If you solely accomplish all the tasks assigned to the entire group, you will not be considered a good leader, since Leadership has another aspect as well, the one that requires you to involve other people to participate, to let other people grow with you, not with the intension that you will lead them always, that you will carry on the reign. But with the acceptance that they will be leaders one day as well. And for them to be a leader, they must inevitably learn to be a follower. A good leader values a good follower since he himself made that shift, he was once a follower himself.
But that is not the case with Lions. A lion was considered a king, he is still considered and he will remain the king. A leader who never knew what it felt like to be a follower, what does it takes to earn the leadership? Will this actually make A LEADER? He can certainly rule, but he can not lead.
A Lion does not lead, he rules. He is not bothered if he is carrying each one of the followers through, he will never allow someone better to take on the leadership, he will never accept his defeat(which sometimes is a good thing, but failures and truth must be accepted.), he will never let anyone challenge his decision, he will never question his stand. And that is by no definition, a good leader.
Let us consider The Wolf now. Always attack in a group, they knew the importance of teamwork, cooperation and tolerance. They strategize, and each one of the wolves has a role to play. Do they survive without a leader? No! They chose someone among their own to lead, and they are not rigid to let him be the leader till eternity. Even though among themselves, they do not rule, they lead. And Yes, they don’t perform in the circus.
“The Lone wolf dies, but the pack survives”
We all have seen enough pages on Instagram, showing the difference between a boss and a leader, and why you should be the latter one. It turns out that while comparing ourselves with the lion, we were always following the footsteps of a Boss while living in the misunderstanding that we are embracing the Qualities of Lion. And this is the reason why not every follower becomes a great leader. There is this thin line, often crossed that makes the difference.
SO: LION, WOLF OR…
So, what is the takeaway, what we need to do to become a good leader? First thing first, Don’t start Judging the Lion now. I know what most of you are thinking, The Wolves does not play by the rules, they arguably lack honour, they too think about their own family and selfish interests, more so than a lion. And who cares if they perform in the circus or not? Well here is how you can be a Leader.
There is a great advantage in being, a human being. We are not compelled to learn from a single source. Lions are not the strongest, but they have a great balance of strength, bravery and commitment. They are protective of their family. They are ready to face a challenge, that too will sheer will. Wolf, on the other hand, teaches us how to be responsible leaders. Learn from them how to have team cooperation and temperance. Do not be rigid like a lion, and at the same time, learn to be disciplined from him. Learn to fight alone like a lion but at the same time realise that the Strength lies together.
Don’t be a Lion.
Don’t be a wolf.
Just be a Human being, ready to learn from them and many others.
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