Leadership is perhaps the most used and abused topic across all b-schools. Keeping theory aside, I always wondered whether it’s a heredity quality or a skill that can be developed and grommed. While I may never be able to get the right answer to that, here’s my personal take on it.
Having read stories and autobiographies of various leaders over the last few years, I delved on my own leadership style. I was confused, since I never truly led a ‘large’ team. However I realized that leadership need not be restricted to office alone.
So when I extended my sphere to non-work areas, I figured that I have qualities of an entrepreneurial leader. I believe that such a leader combines different inter related forces in the environment to come up with a concept which is simple, yet revolutionary for its times. Hence, such leaders change the entire business model and way of working of an industry.
I can relate this to my innate talent and my purpose in life. My purpose is to ‘share knowledge’. Different kinds of information are useful to different kinds of people. And I believe in empowering individuals with the relevant knowledge, since I think knowledge increases when shared and exchanged. On the other hand, I am very comfortable with technology and to a certain extent, am able to predict the upcoming trends in technology and the internet. I want to use my skills gained through education and work, coupled with my risk taking ability and innovative mind, to be able to develop something in the field of knowledge management.
Another reason why I prefer becoming an entrepreneurial leader is because of the radicalism attached with such leaders. They often have zany ideas which are far ahead of their times and hence shock many people. But it is the craziness of such ideas that actually make them successful. I also have whacky ideas, which sometimes even border on being illegal. But I truly believe in my ideas and I think that’s what counts at the end of the day for an entrepreneurial leader.
Makes me miss Professor G.