CHAPTER 3
A Complete Leader
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
- Get a bird’s eye view of the seven aspects of leadership that a student must focus upon, understand and practice for maximum gain.
A Holistic View on Leadership is Important
The answer to the question ‘who is a leader?’ is not straightforward because it involves a dimension of man that does not come under the domain of science. That is, there is the art dimension of leadership which has aesthetic content. Or in other words, one can surely say that leadership is in the realm of the metaphysical. And studying metaphysical aspects requires the introduction to some concepts that may be uncommon or unfamiliar to many.
Our purpose is to understand what the essential nature of leadership is and how it is linked with things and ideas that can be practically used in day-to-day life. These ideas and concepts must assist in developing the personality of a leader and must also help organizations chart a path, progressing along which they can maximize the benefits from suzerainty and leadership.
A Picture to Capture Seven Ideas of Leadership
In pursuit of this holistic picture, we shall focus on the following seven ideas in the book. Hopefully, these will be able to encapsulate the arguments and learning presented in this book, so that it will assist the reader/student in (a) understanding the issue in depth, (b) in motivating him to work on it and (c) in inspiring him to take up the recommended course of action suggested by the wise. The seven attributes to which the student/reader must pay attention to are the following:
| 1 | Be | COMMON SOUL |
| 2 | Practice | YOGYATHWA |
| 3 | Attain self sufficiency | SUZERAINTY NEEDS |
| 4 | Take responsibility | TEAM NEEDS |
| 5 | Focus & facilitate | EXCELLENCE |
| 6 | Uphold | DHARMA |
| 7 | Wisely choose | SUZERAINTY-LEADERSHIP MATRIX PATH |
Understanding all these aspects is important in order to maximize the gains from this course on leadership. As we go along we shall not only understand the various aspects, but also relate them to each other. They can be conveniently memorized using the following diagram … .
The Reader must endeavor to constantly relate to this diagram as he makes progress when reading the book. The understanding of each aspect will gradually develop as we move along; sometimes sequentially and sometimes in parallel. Hopefully, at the end one may see himself riding piggy back on it, assured that all aspects are absorbed into him and the majestic leadership elephant that he is riding on is sturdy and headed in the right direction.