Be a good leader and people will appreciate it. Be a great leader and people will never forget. History is full of leaders of all kinds—the good, the bad, and the great. We often remember the great and the bad and forget the good, despite their contribution to life. Progress in society is desperately dependent on great leadership. The difference between good and great is as clear as day. Great will have all elements of the good but good can never do what great does. You are here because you want to be a great leader. Let’s dive in to know the difference between the two.
All major advancements and achievements are products of great leadership. Great leaders like Martin Luther, Winston Churchill, and Nelson Mandela shared similar attributes. Great leadership is characterized by power, dominion, and passion. It is founded on a relentless desire to achieve something beyond the physical realm.
Good Leadership
Good and bad people can practice great leadership and get results. The morality of great leadership depends on the person wielding it. Global disasters like 9/11 and the holocaust were caused by bad people wielding great leadership attributes. The theory of relativity, Christianity, and technological advancements improved society’s welfare because good men wielded great leadership attributes.
Good leadership stops society from going backward. It protects and advocates widely accepted values. It is big on promoting morals, accepted behavior, and codes of conduct that promote equality. We can equal good leadership to management. It is effective as long as operations are effective.
A good leader is majorly concerned with the welfare of others. Good leadership is the entry point to great leadership but average leaders stay at this position.
I was once a good leader. I did my job as expected of me, focused on the other’s interest, and protected accepted values in what I proposed. The desire to become a leader came after many frustrations. No one was getting inspired, the people I led slacked and allowed complacency. The anger drove me to study and desire to be a great leader.
Great Leadership
Good leadership is not as captivating as great leadership. It can be painful because it lacks enthusiasm and passion. A great leader is dramatic. Their actions will arrest your attention. It is impossible to put great leadership in a box.
Great leadership can be explosive, irrational, unpredictable, and sometimes ungovernable. The desire to achieve a vision in the shortest time possible is the fuel of a great leader.
While we may admire great leadership, it might be catastrophic if unchecked. The good leader is the chain that holds the great leader from causing havoc. There must be a perfect blend between the great and the good leader. The pursuit to balance good and great leadership results in other leadership styles as described in the figure below.
Complete Leader
A complete leader is complete indeed. He has perfected direction and power. The present generation calls them disruptors. Complete leaders are the epitome of a human will, relentless determination and commitment.
They have a clear vision and an idea of getting there. Complete leaders create an environment for creativity, which fuels progress. Their will forces ideas out of the spiritual realm to the physical.
Faith is the fuel behind their determination. Complete leadership combines constructive and productive energy. Progress is the mark of a complete leader.
The Friend
The friend leader creates a pleasant and healthy environment. The intention of leading is that everyone working under the leader is happy. The working environment is healthy because the leader places high respect for values.
A moral compass is the mark of this leader. Despite practicing well, the environment under the friend leader lacks power and passion. There is little to no progress despite a desire for change.
The leader is sincere but he lacks the power to implement his ideas. This leadership is void of personal, social, and organizational goals. This form of leadership is coupled with stagnation.
Absent Leader.
The absent leader neither possesses good nor great traits. His leadership is characterized by zero progress, ambition, and desire. The leader lacks direction and the desire to lead his people. He lacks the power to prove or direct a point.
The absent leader is unavailable for his duties. He can be called the vacant leader. Absent leaders exist. Some chose the leadership position unwillingly, and others were coerced into leading.
They protest discomfort by disappearing from work. I know such leaders. Despite holding highly respected positions, they neither show up for work nor concern themselves with the job.
The Vilain
Any known leader who caused permanent damage to people is the villain leader. He possesses a great deal of great leadership skills. He has the power, energy, and desire to have dominion over the things he believes he has control over. The direction he chooses for life is far from good. His leadership style is directionless.
He is motivated by the desire to see his leadership skills work. He has an unrelenting determination to succeed but he has no direction. He lives a life without principle. The leader is not accountable to anyone. He believes he is the first and final authority in his life. The villain has an unpredictable nature. One time he is here and that time is in another place.
Read: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
Leadership plays a central role in the governance of a society. If a leader wants to contribute to the well-being of a society, he must possess widely accepted traits. His responsibility is to promote this value and guide people’s morals. This code of operation is effective with a good leader.
If you want a great leader, look for those possessing such skills. They are full of power, a relentless desire to will, and an unbreakable human will. They are the brains of all popular ancient wars and the minds behind global business or any business or institution run effectively. Everyone desires to be great but few are ready to pay the price of greatness. Many want to place safe.
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