“The murkier the situation the better the experience”
Aside from the leader and the follower, situations are critical to Leadership development. This bite is one of the episodes that I am personally passionate about. Things happen for a reason.
Let’s seek wisdom. Don’t make ugly decisions with possible dire consequences at the workplace. If you approach leadership from a situational point of view, you shall appreciate that leadership is one beautiful process and not an awful position. On any journey, something must happen for something to happen. So a very good friend used to say ‘nothing happens for nothing’.
The journey was planned and the vehicle was in a good condition. The driver never passed a blink throughout the journey. After an hour, the vehicle veered off the road and landed in a ditch. There was no casualty. Passengers were trapped in the bus, including the driver and his crew. It was an accident and this happened at midnight. This was a real situation.
There were two pregnant women, three toddlers and two senior citizens who were also trapped in there. A 13-year-old boy woke up from a ‘trance’ to find himself in the situation. He sat down to reflect on everything before he rescued everyone with all his might and emerged a leader. Leaders are born. Leaders are made. Yet leaders emerge. Although leadership involves the interaction between the leader, the follower and the situation, I am boldly advising that leaders should be quick to handle situations. The murkier the situation, the better the experience.
Recent works have proven that situations are mostly triggered by change management and also during various stages of team building in leadership development. Situations could be stress, tasks, departments, uncompromising attitudes of colleagues, environment and even building a new team through the forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning stages. Just fixed them all.
Interestingly, situations are opportunities. They should rather motivate. Apparently, situations bring out the best in leaders. Hope for more and varying situations to test your pulse. You cannot always wait for the perfect time. There is none. You need to dare to take up the challenge. Always remember that the same boiling water that softens the grain of rice hardens the egg. Don’t forget the moral of the proverbial glass. What breaks others, should make you.
Focus on the journey to leadership development. Take care of those who may sustain injuries as a result of the situation, if you have to. Show them the way. Give them life again. Prioritize your decisions. Get the team along. Brighten the situation and give people hope on the journey towards leadership development.
