Whatisl

eadership?Leader
shi
pistheabi
li
tyofani
ndivi
dualt
olead,
inspi
reandgui
det
o
t
ransf
orm ot
herindiv
idual
s,gr
oups,or
gani
zati
onsorsoci
etyf
oragoodcause.

Managementi
sdoi
ngt
hingsr
ight
;Leader
shi
pisdoi
ngt
her
ightt
hings.

–Pet
erDr
ucker

Whoi sapol i
ti
call eader?Apol i
ti
call
eaderisapubl i
cservantwhoworksforthebettermentof
thesociety
.He/ shei select
edbyt hemember soft hesoci
etybycast
ingvotes.Apoli
t i
cal l
eader
requi
res‘stat
esmanshi p’
;asopposedt ojustbeinga‘pol
it
ici
an’–thi
smeanshav i
ngthei ntegr
it
y
andwi l
l
ingnesst ost andupf orwhati
sr i
ght,evenifi
tmeansr esi
gni
ngaposi t
ioningov ernment
orlosi
nganel ection.

MarkSkousensays,
“Weshal
lneverchangeourpol
it
ical
leadersunti
lwechangethepeopl
ewho
el
ectt
hem.”Henceitsi
mport
antasciti
zenst
oelecttheri
ghtleaderwhocancreat
e
tr
ansf
ormation.

Cit
izensshoul
delectleader
sconsider
ingt
hei
rabil
i
tyandcapabil
it
ytomakeadi
ffer
enceand
addv al
uetothesoci
et y
.It’
sthenhis/
herr
esponsi
bil
i
tyasaleadertomakeadi
ff
erencet
hat
ci
ti
zensarelooki
ngf or.

Butsur
prisi
ngl
ytoday’
spoli
ti
cianssay,
“Theyar
egoi
ngtodoonet hi
ngwhi
l
etheyi
ntendt
odo
anot
her.Thentheydonei
therwhattheysai
dnorwhatt
heyi
ntended.
”

Whati
ttakest
obeagoodpol
it
ical
leader
?

Agoodpol i
ti
cal l
eaderisonewhoi scapablet
ot akedeci si
ons, determinedtowor kfort he
bett
erment,hasthewi l
l
ingnesstomanage&r ecti
fyissuesandi mpor t
antlystandupf orwhatis
ri
ght.Apoli
ti
cal l
eadershoul dnotbewor ri
edabouthi s/herposi t
ion,powerandaut horit
y .He
shouldal
way swor kforthegr owt
hoft hesoci
etyandshoul dv aluehiscit
izens.Everypol i
ti
cal
l
eadershouldinherittheskil
lsandresearchcapabili
tiestothinkandactt owar dsf
uturegr owt
h.
Asuccessfulleader,shouldhavefi
v emajorvi
rtues:Di sci
pli
ne, Trust
wor t
hiness,Courage,
Humaneness, Int
ell
igence.

Ofallt
heleadershi
prol
es,poli
ti
call
eader
sarealwaysontopofevery
one’smindbecausethey
areinthenewsalwaysforonereasonortheot
her.Aroundt
heworldther
earemanyaspi r
ing
poli
ti
call
eadersbutunf
ortunat
ely,
ther
earefewleaderswholi
veuptotheethi
csandpr i
ncipl
es.
“
Thefut
urel
ieswit
hthosewi
sepolit
ical
leader
swhor
eal
i
zet
hatt
hegr
eatpubl
i
cisi
nter
est
ed
mor
einGovernmentt
haninPol
i
tics.
”

–Fr
ankl
i
nD.

InIndia,mostoft hepolit
icalleaderslackthebasicandi mpor tantleadershipqual
itiessuchas
accountabili
ty,t
ransparency ,
av ai
labil
i
tyandintegri
ty.Someoft hesel eadersevenindulgein
corrupti
onandot heril
l
egal acti
v i
ti
es.Inthepresentgenerati
ont hewor d“poli
ti
calleaders”hasa
negativeopinionont heciti
zens, whichisnotasur pr
ise.Howev er,t
hepr esentdevelopment s
showust hattheupcomi ngy oungl eadersarefoll
owingthel eadershipideals.Wear eseeing
someposi t
ivechangesi nIndianpol i
ti
cs,whichiswel coming.

Hav i
ngresponsibl
epoli
tici
ansint hegov erni
ngbodyi simportantastheyarethedecisi
on
maker softhecountr
y,stat
eandot herpubl i
caffair
s.Theyhavet hepowertomanage, di
str
ibute
theeconomi cresour
ces,buil
drelationshipswi t
hstakeholder
sandmakedeci sionsthatcan
haveagr eatimpactonthewel l
-beingofanat i
on.Asar esponsibleci
ti
zensweexpectour
poli
tici
anstofocusmor eonlong-term plansf orthewell
nessoft henati
onthantheshort-
term
plans.

Responsibi
lityi
soneoft hemostimportantl
eader shi
pquali
ti
es.Mostpoli
ti
cal
leaderspoi
nt
fi
ngersatot herleadersrat
herthantaki
ngther esponsi
bil
it
yuponthem.Leadersshould
acknowledgeot herleaderscontr
ibut
iontowardssociety
.Theyshouldacceptt
heirownfaul
ts/
fai
lur
es/ mistakesandshoul dalwaysworktowar dsthei
rbett
erment.

Aleaderwhoishonest,
account
abl
eandtakesresponsi
bil
i
tyf
orhi
s/herowndeci
sionsand
act
ionshasthequal
ityt
obecomeagreatleader
.

“Notal
lci
vi
lser
vantsadmi
restr
ongpolit
icall
eader
ship.Buti
fyouwantt
ochanget
hingsf
ort
he
bett
er,
youneedstr
ongpol
it
ical
leader
ship”.–Harr
ietHarman

I
mpor
tantQual
it
iesofagoodpol
it
ical
leader
:

1.He/
shemustbecapabl
eofmaki
ngt
oughandbr
avedeci
sionsf
orbet
terf
utur
eofpubl
i
c.

2.He/
sheshoul
dhav
ethecour
aget
ost
andupandsaywhatneedst
obesai
drat
hert
hanj
ust
t
ell
whatpeopl
eli
ke.

3.He/sheshoul
dwor
kforpeopl
e’
swel
l
-bei
ngr
athert
hanf
ight
ingf
ort
hei
rbet
terpol
i
tical
posi
ti
ons.

4.He/
shemustl
i
stent
othepeopl
eandr
epr
esentt
hem f
ait
hful
l
y.

5.He/
sheshoul
dbeloy
alt
ot hepeopl
ehe/sherepresent
s.Andhe/
sheshoul
dbel
oyal
toot
her
l
eader
ssothatt
heycanworktoget
herandfaceproblemstoget
her
.

6.Regar
dlessofpol
it
ical
part
iesandopini
ons,oneshoul
dwor
kwi
thar
angeofot
herpeopl
est
o
achi
evethegreat
estgoodforthegener
alpubl
i
c.

7.He/
sheshoul
dresi
stt
hemsel
vesf
rom v
ari
oust
empt
ati
onsoft
hepol
i
tical
arena.

8.He/
sheshouldbehumbl
eanddownt oeart
h.He/
sheshoul
dconsi
dert
hathei
sjustal
eader
andnotowneroft
hepeopl
eherepr
esents.

I
mpor
tanceofl
eader
shi
pinsoci
ety
:

1.Leader
shi
pisi
nstr
umental
forsoci
alchange.Over
comingsocial
pr obl
emsormoderni
zi
ng
andaboli
shi
ngsoci
alnor
mshasbeeni mpossibl
ewit
houttheri
ghtkindofleader
shi
p.

2.Leader
swor kforgoodnessofsociet
y,r
espectt
hei
rpeople’
svoi
ce,
creat
esaposi
ti
veand
happysociet
y,andkeepthesepeoplemotivat
edandi
nspir
ed.

3.Leader
shipwi
l
lemphasi
zet
hei
mpor
tanceofeducat
ion,
picki
ngt
her
ightcar
eer
,wor
kinghar
d
andfocusi
ngonper
for
mance.

4.Somecommuni ti
esandsocieti
esareoftenr
emember edbythei
rleadersanditsexcept
ional
soci
alphenomenonthatoneleadercan’
tshapethefut
ureofthegeneralpubl
ic.Theymake
them f
eelcl
osert
oeachot herandstr
engthent
heirbonds.

5.Leaderhasacapabl
eofvisual
i
zet hepeopleneedsf
rom di
ff
erentangl
esandpl
anthings
accordi
ngly
.Thi
swouldenableproperdi
str
ibuti
onofdevel
opmentandensurepr
oducti
ve
resul
ts.