Leadership has been a popular topic in many different settings. I've seen several leadership development courses online and it just proves how important it is. And rightly so. Leadership is one of the most important aspects of human endeavour and so, we find it present in every facet and level of our lives. From the basic unit of society; the family, to the outer and wider world, there are structures of leadership invariably set in place.
It's important and necessary because leadership gives direction and sets the course for actions towards a goal. I've come to realise that even amidst a group of people without any formal leadership, there seems to be someone or some people who are looked up to and are pointers in some way when it comes to the advancement of the group. That's how leadership is engraved in our lives, whether we intentionally employ it or not.
I find it helpful that people are intentional about building others into true and remarkable leaders, imbibing in them knowledge and qualities needed for good leadership. But then, leadership is only one side of the coin that makes for the success, growth and advancement of a group, organisation or even a nation. The other is teamwork. It isn't usually highlighted, but true leaders know this, and thus, they openly applaud and appreciate their team.
Leadership will suffer in the face of bad teamwork. Equally, a good team will suffer frustration in the face of leadership that doesn't work and move with them. It's needful to know that good leadership is a function of good team members. It's safe to flip the coin and say it the other way round as well; good teamwork is a function of responsible leadership. The two need to coexist for the success of that group, organisation, institution, sector, or nation.
An effective leader has the interests of the people or what they represent at heart. Sadly, this cannot be said in many of the political spaces of various nations. Such “leaders” have made leadership a sham, taking dignity away from it. That's false leadership. Effective leadership holds and values integrity, empathy, discipline, vision, growth and more. It sets achievable goals and works towards them, with and through the inclusion of teamwork.
The importance of teamwork towards achieving a common goal can't be denied or undermined. The team who work behind the scenes and under delegated authority towards a common goal and growth of the body are often unrecognised or unknown. But teamwork is important and necessary as it welcomes varying ideas and diverse opinions, spreads work across members, all for a better and faster outcome. Partnership between leadership and teamwork is thus needful.
Image is AI generated.
