WHO ARE LEADERS?

Evening to you once again my dear visitors at VIPAUMBELE KWANZA blog. It is my hope that you are fine in all aspects of your life: In our developing nations (third world countries) we highly need GOOD LEADERS who can take us to another page of vision and success.
What is a leader?  The Oxford English Dictionary defines a leader (in human terms) as:
A Person who commands a group, organization, or country.
A Leader has got both Authority and Power. NB: Organizations come in many shapes and sizes; political parties, governments, charities, businesses or families. By inference, if an organization has only one leader, that person alone is the source of all ideas. That person alone is the maker of all decisions. The rest of the organization must, therefore, be followers; 'sheep', who take no initiative and make no decisions. These people are also free of responsibility for outcomes of their actions. This presents a big problem for the organisation as whole and followers as individuals.
According to me, A leader is the one with a strategic clear vision knowing the destination of his journey and his followers.
Since the concept of a leader is a 'job title',  the leader must be the one leading every minute of every day.
He or She may not be less than perfect at any time. This presents a big problem for the leader. He or She must be right every time. He or She must also be seen to be right every time. He or She is always on a pedestal. Each and every act and word (business and personal) is subject to scrutiny and being judged by all. 

Sadly this kind of infallibility is not constant for any human being; we are all idiots some of the time. To err is human.

Modern Definitions of 'Leader'.
Fredrik Arnander, in his 2013 book " We are All Leaders", suggests a different approach. 
Leadership is not a position, it is a mindset.
In an article in Nigeria's Premium Times, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju states:
"A Leader goes in front, leads the way and by his actions; people follow."
This is in contrast to a "ruler"; rulers rule by the use of their power and authority, backing this up if necessary with heavy handedness. A Leader must have real followers. These are people who follow out of choice, rather than compulsion.A Leader may rise to a state where people follow them for many years and through various incarnations. A fine example is the late, Nelson Mandela, who moved from personal commitment to small scale political activism to national presidency to world statesmanship. Mandela embodied a vision and commitment for many years. In contrast to the previous quote, Mandela prefered to think of a leader, leading from behind "It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. The people will appreciate your leadership" by Nelson Mandela.

Emmergent Leaders.
A Leader may also emerge from the crowd for just a few moments.
This could be a 'serious' matter or an entirely frivolous one.For instance a young woman named Janet Fabian  was knocked down cycling in Mwanza region. She was injured and trapped beneath the car, unable to  breathe due to weight pressing down on her chest. A single passer-by took a leader role straight away. He gathered nine others who became his followers and togrther they lifted the car from on atop of Janet Fabian, saving her life until the medics arrived. After the panic was over the individual ceased to be a leader and melted back into the crowd.  
In the coming post We will discuss the "skills Good Leaders need to have". Yours VIPAUMBELE KWANZA blog author. Never forget, we are all Leaders!