ON THE VERGE OF WIPEOUT

Politics is the one of the most talked about topic of our time. In its brief lexical meaning, it is described or defined as a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. It's what we are taught or what we had learnt or what is written in text books. There are various other definitions which are not covered here. In due course of time, what we, the general people, have seen or realised is that Politics is "The Ugly Game of Power." And it's apparent that The game of power is bound to be a dirty game.

We are adhered to presume that Leaders constitute Politics. (these days it's not leaders who constitute politics but diametrically it's Politicians who constitute Politics. There seems to be lots of differences between these two entities, i.e. Leaders and Politicians though one would literally assume that they are all exactly the same. Here we are concerned about leaders not politicians. It's a general accepted notion that "A leader is a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal." In fact the great leaders do things in the best interest of the people. It is a common perception that leaders are born, not made. This may be true to some extent because many people display some intrinsic traits right from birth, which put them in the position where they are looked up as leaders. A person’s authoritativeness, confidence in speech and action and the ability to handle crisis without panic are considered some of the most effective leadership qualities, which sets people apart from the crowd.

These are all things written in books or megazines or aired in the radio or television which need to be addressed wisely. Now let us get back to where we belong and where we come from. Let us get ready to confront the truth that we all are on the verge of time when we would definitely feel disgraceful to acclaim that we are born in Manipur - a place acknowledged for its ethinicity, culture, tranquillity and the discipline of the people . We the people are the dupes and we the people are the perpetrators as we chose or elected our leaders by the very virtue of democracy.

But what we basically keep ignoring in the process is indeed the rudimentary question which we need to ask ourselves And that is "What attributes need to be possessed by a leader". Henceforth in this write-up, I would like to abstract a few attributes that need to be taken into account while we opt or praise a leader.

*The listed below are the parameters that a good leader should have.

Correct Team
Leaders are not supposed to do all the work all alone. Having the right people around the leader will help the leader set the right priorities. And having the right priorities will help the leader choose the right people.

Common Sense
A leader has to possess common sense – the willingness to listen to the voice of reason when it might not make sense.
Now we might call this discernment because leaders read the situation before they lead the people.

Competency
A competent leader is one whose life is built on a process! Competence rarely happens overnight!

Charisma
Leaders who think of others and their concerns before thinking of themselves quickly develop charisma. It will get the leader an audience – but only character will keep the audience.
Charisma has been defined as a magnetic personal attraction that draws others to the leader. Charisma is the quality that makes people want to listen to you and support you. It is the ability to inspire one to be and do more than they thought possible.

Conviction
Leaders always act from their principles; empowering others even when it is hard. Leaders of conviction work out of grace.

Courage
Courage is the commitment to do the right thing in the face of possible criticism.Leaders initiate and take a stand even when no one else is traveling with them. Courage is taking a position even when you know it might cost you something.

Credibility
“Leadership is a combination of strategy and character – if you must be without one, drop the strategy.” - Colin Powell
Character + Competence = Credibility.
For a leader to lead, he/she must have followers. And to have followers, a leader must have credibility.

Communication
As we look for leaders, one feature we must look for is their ability to communicate. Being able to communicate the truth of the situation so the people can understand the problem and the solution is what we the people expect from a leader. He should be able to reach the people around him/her effectively.

Creativity
There is no question that we live in a complex world with complex issues. The world is changing daily and leaders have to be able to adapt to the changing times with creativity.
Many times a leader has to go out on a limb and be willing to try something different to solve a problem or meet a need. Leaders should always think out of the box because leadership is all about managing change.

Connectability
It is always the leader’s responsibility to connect to the people, not the people with the leader. In order to connect, the leader has to be a good listener; listening to where the people are and find the connection point, then move the people forward.

* Adapted / Excerpts from various sources.

In the past couple of decades or then , have we particularly ,the people of Manipur heard of or seen or experienced any leader who possesses any of these features. It's high time that we learn to anticipate what would our land become subsequently if we keep ignoring . Let us not compromise any more ! Are we left with no more options !