I have been working for about 10 years now. Have worked in agencies, in growing organizations, in mature organizations, across industries…To some extent, I have had a great exposure to the so-called corporate life. And it’s amazing how; no matter where you work, and with whom you work, people can be distinctively divided into two groups. One which lives by the ‘follow the herd’ policy, and the other that lives to ‘lead’. Unfortunately the numbers in the former category are on the rise.
Some people are born to be led. They are good followers. You lay down a set of rules, tell them what to do and they will do it - with perfection. Life is less complicated for them. Working within a given framework is easy, comfortable and less risky. There is hardly a chance to go wrong. Just walk the beaten path.
I was reading this very interesting book called ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’, by Richard Bach. The story is about a seagull that followed his dreams and made his own rules. For most of the seagulls, flying is a method to look for food because that’s what helps them survive. Flying is only a means to meet the end-to help look for food. They are not meant to be soaring in the skies. But for Jonathan Livingston Seagull, flying was life. He wanted to soar and soar high up in the sky. Everyone, including his family ridiculed him for going against the norms of his society, of trying to aspire to be different from the rest of the flock. But he didn’t give up his dream.
That’s what the other set of people do. They break away from the routine-break away from the so called norms that society lays down. They are not afraid to live life on their own terms. They are prepared to take risks and believe in having a purpose in life.
Things are never easy for such people. They are often ridiculed, disregarded, ignored by the first lot because they have the guts to break from the herd and follow his/her own calling. Is it their destiny or their choice?
I have always believed that we all have choices in life. All we need to do is to exercise those choices and we become what we chose to. Most of the time, it’s a lonely walk for those who chose to lead. Many even fall by the wayside, unable to walk alone anymore, but some walk all the way - carrying a huge burden but fulfilling their destiny. These are the ones who are the true leaders. The ones who chose to create their own path. It may not necessarily mean that these leaders are all world renowned, or rich beyond imagination. Their success lies in their own eyes and each of them have their own definition of success. In fact it is in finding this definition that they have manifested their leadership.
We are social animals and we are biologically hard wired - for our own survival - to be part of a group. So, one always wants to belong to a group, even if it may mean losing yourself. In which case, when the others are greedy, it is natural to be greedy ourselves or fearful when others are fearful. But even in our Neanderthal past, there was always the “Alpha Male”, the pack leader, who got there because he improvised -chose to take risks and discover ‘FIRE’. If it wasn’t for the risk-takers we probably would not have evolved at all.
Secretly, the followers wish that they could be more like the leaders. They are usually quick to give in to envy and look upon those who lead with predictable disdain, blaming either their own “bad luck” or the other guy’s “good luck”. There are also the suggestions of unfair means and the “pull” he or she had. When things get nasty, the envious are the nastiest of all.
The envy and the disdain make the journey of the leaders tougher, but it also steels their resolve and as the popular cliché goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” The only question remains, who are ‘YOU’- Part of the herd of sheep or the “Shepherd”!!!.
