The ability to control the money.
The ability to control the underlings / direct reports (I've always hated those terms, but they're there).
The stamina to control his emotions...or at least look like he does anyway.
The privilege of controlling the rules. Like any game, he who controls the rules always wins. Why? Because he can change them at will to suit his whims.
In my experience, it seems that a leader doesn't really have to exercise much self control. As long as he can control those beneath him, he has no obligation to follow rules or have self discipline.
I bring this up because I'm in the midst of reading Gretchen Rubin's book Better than Before and I'm bothered by something. In it, she mentions the four personality tendencies: the obliger, the questioner, the upholder, and the rebel. The rebel, as scary as it seems, sounds like the typical leader; no rules to follow, no need for self control, no accountability, and they make the rules.Is that really how this works? Is this why I'll never be a leader?
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Prompts provided by Mrs. Kate over at Heading Home.
Sounds like an interesting book. And while I can see that many leaders hold these types of control, the best leaders do not. The best leaders find others who do things well and work with them, not against them. Leaders are often made of those who look to the Lord for their guidance and allow Him to be in control - Lori, #72 at FMF
ReplyDeleteThe book is quite interesting. Unfortunately, the best leaders are the ones who write leadership books because they know they are accountable for what they write. Otherwise...
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