LEADERSHIPPASTPRESENTANDFUTURE
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| PLATO |
The parable of the Ship’s
Captain
The sailor’s are
quarrelling over the control of helm…they do not understand that the genuine navigator can only make himself fit to command a ship by studying the seasons of the year
,sky, stars, and winds and all that belongs to his craft ; and they have no
idea that ,along with the science of navigation, it is possible for him to gain, by instruction or practice ,the
skill to keep control of the helm whether
some of them like it or not
Plato…The Republic
Leadership is very complex and
involves a lot of ingenuity ,creativity and an attitude which would make others
have confidence in you to follow you or listen to you. The above passage from
the classic THE REPUBLIC by PLATO contains some ideas about leadership and its
complexity though new theories are being developed on a regular basis.
The analogy of a ship and its captain
and the sailors will fit in very well with any discussion of leadership. This
is very evident from many real life situations and fictional ones like Columbus,
Captain Cook,Vasco de Gama,Ishmael (Moby Dick)and many others
Take out the some important words
for the above paragraph: control, genuine navigator, command, science of
navigation, instruction or practice, skill, control at the helm..like it or not.If
an attempt is made to form a sentence highlighting these terms we will get a
general idea about what leadership is all about.
A leader should know what he is
doing and why he doing it (science of navigation).He should be a genuine
navigator with skill and practice and should have long years of experience in
different contexts. Whether one likes it or not ,one should have all these and
much more to exercise control at the
helm.
He has to lead from the front and
cannot exhibit any doubt or shadow of fear. There are leaders in all spheres of
life. Nobody gives one power on a platter , instead it has to be earned through
hard work and exemplary leadership qualities which will naturally lead to tremendous
commanding power.
But ,all said and done ,leadership theories continuously evolve and there cannot be a final word ...
to be continued ....I respect your response ...
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