Any crisis, almost always, brings out the best in man. The mind can pull out of its bag of gray matter a thousand and one tricks to solve any issue or problem. This can be at home, in your office, at your school, anywhere.
As leaders, we are sometimes put on the spot and asked to do the seemingly impossible. Sometimes we do; sometimes we don’t. Through it all, we usually have two good things going for us: faith in ourselves and our belief that fate is on our side.
Today the search for good and true leaders continues.
What are some of the extraordinary powers that separate leaders from average men?
The true leader has the power to discern his special place among men: true self-knowledge of one’s worth: not a delusion of grandeur. He is fully aware of his talent and can transform him into an effective instrument of service. But he, too, knows his limitations and uses them, not as guidelines for not committing, but as indicators of how he should improve. The true leader has a sense of mission, not messianic but organic. He understands that he must play an important role in the organization to which he belongs. He allows others to build on his strengths, and once they are grafted onto him, he provides the substance that makes them grow as one: skills, wisdom, virtues, and a deep sense of commitment.
The true leader brings out the best in others, he has the power to inspire. He uses the Wand of Leadership to summon latent energies and powers trapped within the bodies of average men and let them blossom. He provides the rain and sunlight that awaken the seeds of creativity, and when they blossom, he claims them not as his own creation but as the product of co-creation and self-determination.
The true leader has the power of judgment: he can know when it is time to act or when it is time to react. If it is appropriate to express feelings or remain silent. Whether it’s time to move on or pause and reflect. If it is time to choose or let another day go by to discover new options, if it is time for aggressiveness or discretion.
The true leader possesses courage, he does not limit himself to following the well-trodden paths. He sometimes follows untried paths to achieve his goals, he doesn’t back down when the going gets tough, in fact, he makes it harder. The courage of leaders is contagious, seeping into the bloodstream of every member of their team. His boldness is balanced by realism, he never uses his head to break a rock.
The true leader has the gift of sharing: he shares the victory with his team. He makes sure that everyone is rewarded for his contribution. He doesn’t claim credit for himself, but accepts responsibility for his team’s success even when he must: for his failures.
Finally, the true leader possesses the gift of vision: the power to see both the bright days and the dark nights of his leadership. The power to describe the end goal, the power to explain why it must be done. Visionary leadership is the highest power a leader can possess. With his vision, the leader can begin to shape his future and his dreams, slowly transforming them into concrete reality. Vision also lights the way forward, helping his team anticipate obstacles that may arise and prepare for the worst. And finally, the leadership vision creates new and grander worlds of achievement and greater success.
The powers of the true leader—discernment, sense of mission, inspiration, correct judgment, magnanimous spirit, and vision—equip the leader with the extraordinary strengths that can get him out of any crisis.
And there’s no magic here, just the right combination of strengths that can overcome all the great challenges any leader faces.
The leader, then, is like King Arthur of Camelot, who, for some brilliant moments, lit up his world and showed where it should go.
The leader can create a beautiful world, a world of achievement and success. A world built by true leadership can last lifetimes and generations.
May the lessons of Camelot also be with us forever.
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I hope you, too, will be inspired by a speech delivered by an idealistic, optimistic, ambitious, and aspiring leader of 22 years ago more than 20 years ago.