by Zain Jaffer
The recent June 2024 debate between the two US presidential candidates, particularly after the poor performance of one of them, has ignited a national debate split along party lines of what America needs for the next four years.
Rather than debate the political merits of either side, let me concentrate instead on the requirements of leadership.
First of all, does the person being considered to be a leader have integrity? By integrity we mean that when that person says something, the actions are consistent with the statement. An old adage states that “A gentleman says what he means, and means what he says.” We can replace the word gentleman with leader, since both men and women can be capable leaders. Without integrity, there is no point in proceeding to the other attributes. Without integrity, a person cannot be a leader. Period. Full stop.
Second, does that person have the competency to lead that group, or at least is that person a good learner? This is why we often give importance to experience, especially if a person has delivered in that field. Early in a person’s career, perhaps out of college, he/she is a doer who is tasked to do various missions, that in effect train that person. It can be training in a corporate, government, military, or other setting.
Third, is that person healthy enough to survive and thrive in the demands of the job? The responsibility of a job could extend beyond the normal working hours, and could require travel, inconvenience, and all sorts of stresses that can weaken or kill people at times. That is why companies require executive checkups of their mid to senior executives, to see if they are up to the task.
Fourth, does that person command the respect of his/her peers, and has the ability to think and communicate clearly? At a certain point, followers and doers become leaders. They have shown they can do the tasks, but they progress to the point where their task is no longer to be the doer, but to be the cheerleader, disciplinarian, strategic thinker, and responsibility owner. People follow leaders because they know they previously did the tasks being assigned to juniors, and they have paid their dues before they got promoted.
Fifth, does this person have people skills? Does this leader know the right way to drive and motivate people, avoid favoritism, and can discipline people if needed? If certain people fail, does the leader know how to discipline and if needed fire someone who is incompetent?
Finally does this person have the best interests of the group in mind before their own personal benefit, avoid conflicts of interest, and do they view leadership as service? Sure they get paid well, but they know they get paid the right amount because they are able to lead men and women to do great things.
Any organization or group, including a country like America, needs all of these qualities in place. Since we are a nation of almost 300 million people, we can find people who are qualified based on the metrics above.
To say that having some of these qualities but have a total absence of the other qualities above will not work. A leader needs to have all the qualities above to deserve the job.
Sad to say it is not a question of whether we can find suitable leaders who meet this criteria. The question is, do we want to? I submit that we have to want and demand minimum standards for leadership if we want to remain safe and move forward for the future.
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