Whatisl

eadership?Leader
shi
pistheabi
li
tyofani
ndivi
dualt
olead,
inspi
reandgui
det
o
t
ransf
orm ot
herindiv
idual
s,gr
oups,or
gani
zati
onsorsoci
etyf
oragoodcause.

Managementi
sdoi
ngt
hingsr
ight
;Leader
shi
pisdoi
ngt
her
ightt
hings.

–Pet
erDr
ucker

Whoi sapol i
ti
call eader?Apol i
ti
call
eaderisapubl i
cservantwhoworksforthebettermentof
thesociety
.He/ shei select
edbyt hemember soft hesoci
etybycast
[Link]
t i
cal l
eader
requi
res‘stat
esmanshi p’
;asopposedt ojustbeinga‘pol
it
ici
an’–thi
smeanshav i
ngthei ntegr
it
y
andwi l
l
ingnesst ost andupf orwhati
sr i
ght,evenifi
tmeansr esi
gni
ngaposi t
ioningov ernment
orlosi
nganel ection.

MarkSkousensays,
“Weshal
lneverchangeourpol
it
ical
leadersunti
lwechangethepeopl
ewho
el
ectt
hem.”Henceitsi
mport
antasciti
zenst
oelecttheri
ghtleaderwhocancreat
e
tr
ansf
ormation.

Cit
izensshoul
delectleader
sconsider
ingt
hei
rabil
i
tyandcapabil
it
ytomakeadi
ffer
enceand
addv al
uetothesoci
et y
.It’
sthenhis/
herr
esponsi
bil
i
tyasaleadertomakeadi
ff
erencet
hat
ci
ti
zensarelooki
ngf or.

Butsur
prisi
ngl
ytoday’
spoli
ti
cianssay,
“Theyar
egoi
ngtodoonet hi
ngwhi
l
etheyi
ntendt
odo
anot
[Link]
therwhattheysai
dnorwhatt
heyi
ntended.
”

Whati
ttakest
obeagoodpol
it
ical
leader
?

Agoodpol i
ti
cal l
eaderisonewhoi scapablet
ot akedeci si
ons, determinedtowor kfort he
bett
erment,hasthewi l
l
ingnesstomanage&r ecti
fyissuesandi mpor t
antlystandupf orwhatis
ri
[Link]
ti
cal l
eadershoul dnotbewor ri
edabouthi s/herposi t
ion,powerandaut horit
y .He
shouldal
way swor kforthegr owt
hoft hesoci
etyandshoul dv aluehiscit
[Link] i
ti
cal
l
eadershouldinherittheskil
lsandresearchcapabili
tiestothinkandactt owar dsf
uturegr owt
h.
Asuccessfulleader,shouldhavefi
v emajorvi
rtues:Di sci
pli
ne, Trust
wor t
hiness,Courage,
Humaneness, Int
ell
igence.

Ofallt
heleadershi
prol
es,poli
ti
call
eader
sarealwaysontopofevery
one’smindbecausethey
areinthenewsalwaysforonereasonortheot
[Link]
heworldther
earemanyaspi r
ing
poli
ti
call
eadersbutunf
ortunat
ely,
ther
earefewleaderswholi
veuptotheethi
csandpr i
ncipl
es.
“
Thefut
urel
ieswit
hthosewi
sepolit
ical
leader
swhor
eal
i
zet
hatt
hegr
eatpubl
i
cisi
nter
est
ed
mor
einGovernmentt
haninPol
i
tics.
”

–Fr
ankl
i
nD.

InIndia,mostoft hepolit
icalleaderslackthebasicandi mpor tantleadershipqual
itiessuchas
accountabili
ty,t
ransparency ,
av ai
labil
i
tyandintegri
[Link] hesel eadersevenindulgein
corrupti
onandot heril
l
egal acti
v i
ti
[Link]
ont hewor d“poli
ti
calleaders”hasa
negativeopinionont heciti
zens, whichisnotasur pr
[Link] er,t
hepr esentdevelopment s
showust hattheupcomi ngy oungl eadersarefoll
owingthel [Link] eseeing
someposi t
ivechangesi nIndianpol i
ti
cs,whichiswel coming.

Hav i
ngresponsibl
epoli
tici
ansint hegov erni
ngbodyi simportantastheyarethedecisi
on
maker softhecountr
y,stat
eandot herpubl i
caffair
[Link] hepowertomanage, di
str
ibute
theeconomi cresour
ces,buil
drelationshipswi t
hstakeholder
sandmakedeci sionsthatcan
haveagr eatimpactonthewel l
-beingofanat i
[Link] esponsibleci
ti
zensweexpectour
poli
tici
anstofocusmor eonlong-term plansf orthewell
nessoft henati
onthantheshort-
term
plans.

Responsibi
lityi
soneoft hemostimportantl
eader shi
pquali
ti
[Link]
ti
cal
leaderspoi
nt
fi
ngersatot herleadersrat
herthantaki
ngther esponsi
bil
it
[Link]
acknowledgeot herleaderscontr
ibut
iontowardssociety
.Theyshouldacceptt
heirownfaul
ts/
fai
lur
es/ mistakesandshoul dalwaysworktowar dsthei
rbett
erment.

Aleaderwhoishonest,
account
abl
eandtakesresponsi
bil
i
tyf
orhi
s/herowndeci
sionsand
act
ionshasthequal
ityt
obecomeagreatleader
.

“Notal
lci
vi
lser
vantsadmi
restr
ongpolit
icall
eader
[Link]
fyouwantt
ochanget
hingsf
ort
he
bett
er,
youneedstr
ongpol
it
ical
leader
ship”.–Harr
ietHarman

I
mpor
tantQual
it
iesofagoodpol
it
ical
leader
:

[Link]/
shemustbecapabl
eofmaki
ngt
oughandbr
avedeci
sionsf
orbet
terf
utur
eofpubl
i
c.

[Link]/
sheshoul
dhav
ethecour
aget
ost
andupandsaywhatneedst
obesai
drat
hert
hanj
ust
t
ell
whatpeopl
eli
ke.

[Link]/sheshoul
dwor
kforpeopl
e’
swel
l
-bei
ngr
athert
hanf
ight
ingf
ort
hei
rbet
terpol
i
tical
posi
ti
ons.

[Link]/
shemustl
i
stent
othepeopl
eandr
epr
esentt
hem f
ait
hful
l
y.

[Link]/
sheshoul
dbeloy
alt
ot hepeopl
ehe/sherepresent
[Link]/
sheshoul
dbel
oyal
toot
her
l
eader
ssothatt
heycanworktoget
herandfaceproblemstoget
her
.

[Link]
dlessofpol
it
ical
part
iesandopini
ons,oneshoul
dwor
kwi
thar
angeofot
herpeopl
est
o
achi
evethegreat
estgoodforthegener
alpubl
i
c.

[Link]/
sheshoul
dresi
stt
hemsel
vesf
rom v
ari
oust
empt
ati
onsoft
hepol
i
tical
arena.

[Link]/
sheshouldbehumbl
eanddownt oeart
[Link]/
sheshoul
dconsi
dert
hathei
sjustal
eader
andnotowneroft
hepeopl
eherepr
esents.

I
mpor
tanceofl
eader
shi
pinsoci
ety
:

[Link]
shi
pisi
nstr
umental
forsoci
[Link]
comingsocial
pr obl
emsormoderni
zi
ng
andaboli
shi
ngsoci
alnor
mshasbeeni mpossibl
ewit
houttheri
ghtkindofleader
shi
p.

[Link]
swor kforgoodnessofsociet
y,r
espectt
hei
rpeople’
svoi
ce,
creat
esaposi
ti
veand
happysociet
y,andkeepthesepeoplemotivat
edandi
nspir
ed.

[Link]
shipwi
l
lemphasi
zet
hei
mpor
tanceofeducat
ion,
picki
ngt
her
ightcar
eer
,wor
kinghar
d
andfocusi
ngonper
for
mance.

[Link] ti
esandsocieti
esareoftenr
emember edbythei
rleadersanditsexcept
ional
soci
alphenomenonthatoneleadercan’
tshapethefut
ureofthegeneralpubl
[Link]
them f
eelcl
osert
oeachot herandstr
engthent
heirbonds.

[Link]
eofvisual
i
zet hepeopleneedsf
rom di
ff
erentangl
esandpl
anthings
accordi
ngly
.Thi
swouldenableproperdi
str
ibuti
onofdevel
opmentandensurepr
oducti
ve
resul
ts.