Thoughts on Leadership -- The Message Board of Inzeladun

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Date Posted: 15:50:14 03/07/04 Sun
Author: Yam ibn Saud
Subject: Thoughts on Leadership

An essay about leadership

Yam ibn Saud

To those who would take on the mantle of leadership:

Beware. The leader of men stands in a precarious position. A leader is always a
man of vision. He does not lead through domination or coercion, rather he leads with
vision. He infects the men of his employ with his own ideologies and then follows through
with the attainment of these ideologies with ruthlessness and with cunning. His
subordinates will give forth their efforts because they believe in the Cause, not because
they are frightened or stupid, but because they desire to see the end; the attainment of
their dreams. And so, with vision and with the will to achieve vision, no movement can be
thwarted. No enemy can stand against the tide of men so inspired.
As an accouterment to this vision, the follower will ascribe the leader certain godly
rights and privileges. The followers will project their expectations onto the leader and
expect him to live up to them. Yet, if he mis-steps and does not live up to the followers�
expectations, beware! The leader will then be perceived to be nothing more than a man
after all, and not some divine being, and feelings of envy, jealousy and resentment will rule
the day. The followers will somehow feel cheated, though it was their own foolish
preconceptions and projections that led them to the port of resentment from the moment
they set sail upon the quest to achieve their goals.
The leader of men must understand that there will inevitably come a time when the
followers will question their roles. They will begin to wonder why they themselves are not
leaders of men, and rather than search themselves for the answer, they will blame the man
they serve. A great man is first worshipped, then put to the sword. The masses will praise
him for his audacity and individuality, then they will crucify him for their own
shortcomings. This is the way of things. One may guard against this, however.
When subordinates become unruly and disrespectful, they must be released or
terminated. Only then can the leader maintain his vision and power. When subordinates
become dissatisfied with their lot, it is clear that greed is their only motivation and they
must be removed. When generals of the emperor cast blame upon their emperor for his
leadership or lack thereof, and not upon themselves for following a poor leader, then they
must be dismissed. A great emperor is only served by great generals, and great generals
blame no one but themselves for failing in life�s pursuits.
There are men who lead. These are few in life. Followers, however, are abundant.
A great leader must choose his advisors and followers carefully. He should not choose
men full of envy and greed. Rather, he should choose men who hold the vision of the
Empire dearer to their hearts than their place and stature within it, for only in this way can
the vision be achieved. Ego must never become a matter of crisis, for all men are as dust
to the stirrings of the eternal wind. The leader of men is equal to the follower under
heaven. When this is forgotten, the vision will fail.

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Replies:

Re: Thoughts on Leadership -- Bob, 08:02:39 03/08/04 Mon
- Re: Thoughts on Leadership -- Adilbrand, 10:23:29 03/08/04 Mon
  - Actually -- mvd, 14:09:17 03/09/04 Tue
    - Re: Actually -- Craig, 15:35:17 03/09/04 Tue