Leadership

Leadership is a term we hear often and is associated with words like passion, emotional, creative, and relatable. Followers are normally the ones using these words, as why would they follow someone they dislike' Managers are what we think of as the “boss”. We listen to them whether we agree or not, we respect them or we do not and we care about them or we do not. Leaders are thought to do the right things, whereas managers are thought to do things right. Leaders stir an emotion within followers. They have a vision and followers can mentally see that vision. They “rally the troops” per say. Followers continue their message, speak highly of them and sometimes walk blindly for them depending on the circumstance. Most recently, politics has taken on a roll which represents the dynamics of Leaders, Followers and Managers. President Obama has been looked at as a leader. He inspired, was/is a great speaker. He invokes emotion and passion. He has two types of followers; One’s who listen, agree and back him. The others hear him, follow him no matter what and fiercely back him. This is nothing new in the world of politics; it happens all over the world no matter what side of the aisle you sit on. The Congress would be considered a Manager. Love and hate come to mind, blind leadership, my way or the highway and in the end, just doing what the leader told them to do, not what the people on the ground want or feel is right. I can see how so much negativity is put towards these three words as it is rare we see such positive light within all of these positions. The greatest leader had great enemies. Some of the greatest managers have fallen and most followers have changed their path multiple times or continue to be drones and just follow the crowd. Humanity is to blame as everyone has their own opinion. We tend to strive for the negative to make our point, not the positive. This same dynamic happens in business. In the business world, we rarely see our leaders and have to hope that our managers are interpreting their message successfully and correctly. Once in awhile these two positions overlap. A great manager is a great leader and vice-versa. If the business is successful, you have followers who believe and have helped the company grow. If not, there is failure and usually the follower goes down first. The myths of being born this way, common sense, and a hard life are correct to a point. There are too many people who do not learn from their mistakes or who have an easy life or have no common sense. So much has to do with being a great leader, a great manager and a great follower. You are not a leader if you don’t have a follower and you are not a good manager if you don’t have a good leader. To get to that point, many things must take place. You must be aware, you must learn, you must listen and you must take charge. Even followers have to take a stand at some point. All three positions need one another and in that regard, all are equally important.