6 Things I learnt about Leadership as a Teenager.

My first experience as a leader was back in high school. I was appointed the class representative by my class teacher as against the democratic process of voting. In the days and weeks after my appointment, I learned the importance of democracy the hard way but I also came to understand leadership in a rather different way too. These were what I learned:

Fear and Love

There is little love for a man who shuns the democratic process to take over power, no matter how effective he is as a leader. Everyman wants to decide who leads him and when you take away that right, it breeds resentment and eventually rebellion. Being appointed rather than elected gave me a first-hand experience of this. Very few people liked me and they were not afraid to show it. It thus became extremely hard and somewhat frustrating to lead an unwilling people. It was then I stumbled on Machiavelli\’s principle; it is better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both and indeed it worked. Over the coming weeks, I grew from the friendly, appealing leader to the authoritative one, once my class teacher gave an instruction I ensured compliance often through fear of punishments for non-compliance. Further, for every assignment, we were given I made it a law to submit hours before the deadline and anyone who missed my deadline was on his own. As much as it created resentment among my classmates I was very effective and was often praised by my teachers for that effectiveness. And surprisingly this kept me in power longer than anyone expected – this is often how some African Leaders make their stay on governance for years. Although looking back could I have done things differently? Absolutely! Leadership is all about influence and as a leader, you must be able to influence your followers.

The Word effect

Emotions are a tricky thing and the easiest way to stir them up is with words. Words are power once spoken rightly. They can stir up emotions and move people to act. One thing I noticed was when I spoke people listened not necessarily because I had something smart to say but simply because my words struck a chord in them. My words held meaning because I followed through with action. My classmates knew if you don\’t meet Peter\’s deadline, you are really on your own. But on a more positive note, the true depth of words lies in your commitment to act. As a leader, your most important task is communication with words. People listen because they believe you because they trust you. Your words must express that trust and show your desire and the utmost commitment to the cause. Never say what you will not do as over time your words lose meaning and your relevance because words are simply words if not driven by action.

The Visual front

People follow what they see not necessarily because they have to but simply because it creates the imprint of expectation. My philosophy on studying has always been take advantage of every idle time to expand your capacity for improvement. And so every evening while my mates were out playing and exercising themselves, I devoted that time to studying anything and everything I could lay my hands on and that reflected A\’s in my results. With time some of my mates started following my footsteps, staying back to read because it created an expectation of a better result.

Be the example! People will often do as you do confidently not as you say. As a leader, you need to focus on reflecting what you want your people to follow. Be the man in the forefront charging and reflecting not just aspiration but truth and ideal.

Passion

People are easily swayed when they see your level of commitment to getting things done. So the level of results you get is a function of your level of commitment and invariably your level of passion. It’s never enough to speak words of passion to be the driver and lead with passion. Don’t just speak with passion, lead with passion. Let your people see the overwhelming effect of your commitment to action, to results and to them. A passionate leader endears his people to him.

Before I was appointed as a class representative, my school/street cred was zero and here I was been given this huge position. It was a big opportunity for me and so I grew a deep sense of commitment and passion for the job. I didn\’t just want to do my best and I wanted to do the very best that could be done. And as such I wasn\’t just the class representative in class, I was also outside the class making efforts to help resolve issues that my classmates were having. 

Respect

One of the treasured assets of a leader is the respect of his people. If people don’t respect you, they won’t follow. You need to earn that respect through action. People easily believe what they see than what they read or hear. So focus on the visual front and paint the reality you want them to see. If it speaks result they will follow. Show your willingness to help and help. Never curl up in the ivory tower issuing orders; it builds resentment and gradually disloyalty. Be on the ground, be in the field. Let them see that you understand how to get things done and you understand the challenges and know how to get past them. Once you do this you will win them eternally.

Lastly

Personal Responsibility

I went to a high school with a rich African culture wherein students were taught personal responsibility. Every student was assigned a chore to be done each morning before classes started. And so there were times when my classmates assigned to clean the class failed to, for reasons beyond their control. In such moments I took the responsibility for cleaning the class as against filing a report with my class teacher. What I learned was rather than crucify your followers for failing to achieve set targets you must be open to learning what the challenges are and be ready to provide support.

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