EaRn ReSpEcT tHrOugH LeaDiNg DeCisiVeLy wiTh ComPasSioN

...Lo aNd BeHoLd...

I was just looking through the the photos I collected throughout my unit life. I am glad to say that I worked with many of the most competent people both in the upper management as well as the NSFs. Although it is heart-wrenching to know that I might not be able to work with some of these people again, each meeting was a new and memorable experience gained.


LEADERSHIP THROUGH RESPECT


As a new leader, one learns vastly through experience. You may be one who is equipped with all the all information that is crucial to the organisation and yet you falter when it comes to moving the company to greater heights. So how is this possible?


Most people fail to realise that the people slogging hard under them are the basic entity and foundation of any organisation. The entity that gives the company its limbs, its drive and its direction. What good would a leader be without his men. Would Hitler have been so successful in his conquest if the soldiers under him did not believe in his views and ideas? The conclusion is that worker morale is extremely crucial.


Hence, the dilemma that a leader always faces is the ability to maintain a relationship of harmony and respect with his people vis-a-vis maintaining the drive and focus needed to keep the company advancing upon the ladder of success. I will now dwell into why this becomes a complex idea from a seemingly easy concept.


As a leader, I might be work-orientated and goal driven. Hence, I push the people under me hard so that they may achieve the results that I want. Eventually, these people may become exhausted and lose the morale and drive needed to do the necessary work. As a result, worker effectiveness declines and the overall objective of the company might eventually not be met. I believe one may be able to tell who is on the losing side.


On the other hand, I might be the best leader in the world, allowing the people under me to do do as they please. There would come a point in time when the workers would eventually take their leader's kindeness as his weakness and falter where their responsibility is needed the most. This would once again impact the organisation.


Hence, in my opinion, it is extremely crucial for the leader to earn his people's respect. Respect is the key to a leader's success. If I respect you, I will willingly work for you. The fact that a leader is respected signifies that he has done alot for both the organisation and the people working for him. He is able to consistently motivate the people under him, enabling them to understand the purpose for which they are working consequently leading the organisation to greater heights. At the same time he is focussed and objective. He has his goal in mind and effectively balances all facets of the organisation.


However, earning respect is easier said than done. The trust of people has to be earned. People have to look up to you. For you to lead and command people, you must have also gone through the ordeals, the trials and tribulations that they have experienced at some point in time. If I want to push the guys under me to attain higher physical fitness standards, then it must be crucial for me to have attained similar standards before. If that was not the case, my pieces of advice would become mere phrases of words woven togather.


Hence, when I do not get angry when people fail to address me as Sir at the workplace or when someone fails to pay the proper respects or compliments needed. It is upon me to earn that respect and privellege. People should respect you for that which you do, for that which you earn. When this happens, the insignia woven upon the shoulders of the leader no longer stand as mere pieces of cloth but carry meaning, carry power and most importantly carry the trust and respect of your men. The rank must reflect the fact that as a bridge within the organisation you will never let either the organisation or its workers falter and lose faith in the darkest of hours and will be able to effectively demonstrate your competence and abilities when they are needed the most.



...aNgeLs BrOuGhT mE HeRe...