Daily Times

“Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions” — Harold S Geneen (1910-1997), American businessman and president/CEO of International Telephone and Telegraph Corp. (ITT).

Generally speaking, life is not an easy game. Right from birth to one’s last moments in this world, all persons, no matter which region they belong to, undergo unique experiences which cannot be replicated by anyone else. No matter how enviable another’s life appears, few people would like to be born in their shoes preferring their own fate, howsoever it maybe. This certainly does not mean that they may necessarily be happy with what they have but to imagine having a different set of parents or siblings is quite an eerie thought. However, this theory may not be true for one’s spouse or friends who can be changed at any point of time. Still there is an unusual feeling of pleasure in one’s afflictions and blessings. In this complex network of life on earth and even more complicated nexus of inter-personal relationships there is a system of behaviour that is popularly known as ‘attitude.’

The dictionary denotes ‘attitude’ as a noun defining it in the capacity of an opinion, confidence and in more literal terms as position of the body. Thus, as opinion it means “the way you feel about someone or something”; in terms of confidence, “the air of belief in yourself that you carry as a personality trait”, and for position “the physical body position you maybe in”. Further break-up for attitude can be either positive or negative with the former attributable to optimists and the latter being a sign of pessimism. Personalities reflect the type of one’s overall attitude which any discerning eye is quick to grasp, and body language that even animals can easily recognise.

Good leaders are not loudly conspicuous but silently and effectively leave their mark in a way that makes their presence felt long after they are gone

Since we are not tuned on the same frequency of thinking, we may have reservations or appreciation about each other’s attitude. Practically it really does not matter what kind of outlook others have as long as there is no detrimental effect on our lives. In short, attitude and actions play significant, if not decisive, roles in sculpturing the lives of people. All are at liberty to, for example, harbour whatsoever feelings they like, shape their destiny howsoever they desire, face their crises boldly or choose to succumb to their wounds, treat others with courtesy or shun them with disdain, show humility or act with arrogance, meekly accept fate or ambitiously move forward but for a specific set of persons comprising leaders, these options are not available.

Human beings are not infallible and any expectation of their being perfect would certainly be a fallacy. The same is true for leaders. People would want to be ideally led by a superman or superwoman who has instant solutions to all their problems but in the absence of such an entity the one with the best qualities becomes the only possible choice but the worst part is that it is impossible to please everyone simultaneously. Leadership is not a piece of cake! Leaders have very heavy responsibilities on their shoulders.

These are related not only to their qualification to lead, cognitive traits, acquired skills but also with respect to their attitude towards the people and the multi-dimensional issues which keep cropping up, staring them in the faces. Their ability lies not only in tackling the many problems with a cool demeanour and without losing their patience but also the verbal language they adopt to express their anxiety, anger or appreciation. Usage of words, facial expressions, hand gestures are highly important indicators of the type of attitude that a leader is endowed with. Think before you speak, look before you leap, do not judge a book by its cover, are some of the precautions that need to be taken by them before interacting with the public or other officials. The most desirable trait is to refrain from accusing or abusing opponents. Rather than demonizing others and sanctifying oneself it appears more appropriate to talk about the best way forward. Grace demands that leaders emerge on the basis of their own merits instead of relying on others’ demerits.

As per Bill Gates, five attitudes define a great leader:

1. Let disagreement be known. Accordingly, there is no scope for yes-men. Team members should be able to call a spade a spade.
2. Ability to take more risks than peers. It is very difficult to break the status quo but in reality those who have the courage, bring about revolutionary changes.
3. Congenial demeanour. Due to the fact that leaders have to exert influence, they should possess exceptional capability to make friends and acquaintances as they are the ones to pay closer attention.
4. Make decisions after taking into account essential details. Instead of jumping to conclusions, making impulsive choices, great leaders weigh their pros and cons carefully.
5. Strategic and future focused. This means that great leaders take time out of their schedule to study work of their competitors and objectively view their own performances.

Today, very few people, irrespective of which sector: political, civil, military, educational or industrial etc. they are affiliated with, have the requisite leadership qualities that can place them in an honourable position. Collapsing institutions, low productivity, turnout of incapable degree-holders, rampant corruption, dishonesty, insecurity and general unrest are evident of poor leadership that was unable to systemize things. Good leaders are not loudly conspicuous but silently and effectively leave their mark in a way that makes their presence felt long after they are gone. Self-praise is never a recommendation, nor is an egocentric person capable of handling criticism or bold comments, which a person of substance takes nonchalantly then, but ponders upon closely, later. Someone who shows instant reaction, such as a slap, a push or use of abusive words is actually displaying his own shallowness and inability to handle untoward situations. Leadership is not a bed of roses — even that comes with many prickly thorns.

The writer, lawyer and author, is an Adjunct Faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

Published in Daily Times, July 31^st 2018.