Wisdom and life circumstances are changing my perspective on this. I identify with the definition of leadership as one who guides by going first. In leadership spaces you can hear or be part of conversations on the importance of rallying subordinates and producing results. That said, what isn’t always explicitly said with respect to leadership is the impact of context. Some leaders may have a solid grasp of the context in which they are leading and what the moment calls for. Some leaders know what the moment calls for and they have the skills and abilities to meet the moment. Other leaders are differently equipped for a moment but still rise to the challenge. Yet and still there are other leaders who don’t know where they are guiding themselves let alone anyone else, oh and by the way no one is following them; or better yet whoever is following this type of leader, is agreeing to a pact of radical courageousness to say the least.
I am at a place mentally right now where I can empathize with the nuance of leadership in a way that was unfamiliar to me before. And here is where the wisdom comes in because now I can also look at a situation and at least consider what the final results of a decision might be. There was a time when I let radical courageousness be the lamp post in the fog that was embracing leadership opportunities. The dissonance of context with regard to leadership is important because you can better gauge the impact of a leader and their decisions when you consider all relevant contributing factors. I used to be more under the impression that a leader had to have certain qualifications; and certainly respect and authority are two examples of assets a leader needs to be successful. However, what I am also warming up to is the idea that certain contexts cultivate certain leaders for specific encounters with destiny that may manifest in a way outside of the more traditional view of a leader’s rise to power.
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