A Few tips to would be leaders

(Extracted from ‘Leadership, its concept & qualities’ by Nabaniharan Mukhopadhyay. A booklet of Akhil Bharat Vivekananda Yuva Mahamandal)

Think, each of you can be a leader, but remain a follower till other make you their leader. Come forward whenever there is need, do not wait on the ground that you have not already had any office of responsibility. Here there are two difficulties. There are people who push themselves forward always, try to come to prominence. Why should I not become the Secretary? Why should I not catch the mike and go on announcing matters? But there are people who do not want to come to light. They always keep themselves behind everybody. I don’t want to be seen, but I want to work silently, unnoticed by anybody. Certainly he is much better than the former one. Swamiji says, you may remember, one who can work completely in hiding is the best worker. He says God is doing everything in the universe, but He cannot be seen at all by anybody. That is the secret of good work. Don’t show your face. Try to write your name on a piece of paper and tear it off and throw it into the waste paper basket. Let not anybody see your face- let not people know the man behind the work. That is the best work.

But it may be suggested here, if necessity calls, you must be the first man to go forward and give leadership. There you should not wait. My fellow people – they know my keen intellect, my capacity to speak in flowing language, my capacity to write articles, give directions etc. And still they had not made me their leader, let them suffer. They will not be able to manage. I cannot go. I have so much capacity, but still they have not offered by the position of leadership yet. That should not be the attitude. When necessity arises even if you are not called, throw yourself into the work, but not care or hanker for the post, position and name. This is a secret of becoming a good leader. Keep your conscience clear that you are taking some measure for the good of others really and not out of any personal motive whatsoever. This can be done only if you have the capacity to become one of those who you want to lead. You must become one of those. Don’t place yourself on the ivory tower. I have these essential qualities and the extra qualities. They don’t have any of these and therefore I am superior. I am moving with a gait from which anybody can find that out. I am something special. You are special only by the way that you have been given the privilege of serving others more. That’s all.

You must have dash, but it must be exercised with self-control. Attempt to have dash, but if you have no self-control that dash will dash you down. Talk enough, but do not talk too much. Leaders must talk and they must talk enough so that others can do the things properly. But do not talk too much. Too much talking will dilute the idea; that is not good.

Leaders should have foresight. While taking decisions he must be able to understand beforehand, what effects will follow one after another. I take a decision, and some problem comes. I decide something without caring to understand or foresee what results will follow. The results will be the causes of other results to follow. I do not take these things into consideration and simply by virtue of being the leader, I simply say – do this and other have to obey. But after sometime I discover that the decision taken is wrong, so much harm has been caused. So the leader has to cultivate the capacity to foresee things. Naturally you have discrimination.