[October 7, 2015] Don’t worry, I’m not about to get into a philosophical discussion on the fallibility and imperfections of humans here at theLeaderMaker.com. It is, however, one of my leadership blog themes that humans are imperfect and to reach our potential as leaders it’s necessary to understand the psychology of people and to have the social skills to get along with them.
This reminds me of my dog that seems to understand and love me no matter what; as well as any animal can.1 And so it is with other humans, leadership means recognizing this quality of imperfection. For leaders know that the indomitable human spirit is a direct product from that imperfection.
The challenge to any leader – the “puzzle” of humans – is how to develop the skills necessary to successfully lead. No wonder we have so many books, articles, magazines, and businesses dedicated to improving leadership. Anyone interested in improving their ability to understand people will have no trouble finding someone else who is willing to help them. Also not surprising, there are many “leaders” who promise to make us perfect (physically, mentally, or spiritually) and those who will lead us to the land of utopia.
Many have tried to create a utopia and to create perfect humans and the results for each has been disastrous. The failures are dramatic. From the Pennsylvania religious sect known as Shakers who forbade sexual relations to Socialists who want everyone to be the same or all outcomes to be the same, all have failed to achieve their ends of utopia and perfectionism.
Good leadership means taking lessons from these failures through understanding that these are not the way to success. The biggest failure of some is to think and act on the belief that we all have the same motivations, desires, and needs. At least the Shakers were a voluntary religious group that failed for those who believed their way was the most divine. Like Socialist, there are leaders who are willing to impose their will onto others; these leaders hide their desires by enticing people with unrealistic promises.
Leadership means unraveling the mystery of the imperfection of humans. In doing so they will rally people to a good cause and elevate all they do in the pursuit of a better person. My dog is loyal and grateful despite my imperfections. A good leader knows this is no puzzle.
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- But my dog does have a bit of trouble with squirrels in the neighborhood and thanks to a restraint leash, they have survived.