"The small boat can go as far as the big ship, it all depends on the crew" - Karl Capek, Czech writer.
I came across this quote some time ago, and for me it perfectly captures the idea that we cannot talk about leadership outside the context of four key elements: the Person, the Team, the Goal, and the Environment.
The Person is at the center of leadership. Can someone learn to be a leader, or is it something built into us from birth? Is it a genetic potential, given at birth, or can everyone develop the ability to lead with the right training? I don't think that there have a clear answer, both theories have their arguments, but for me I accept that the person must have a "seed" in themselves, which to grow at the appropriate time. And also, each person has such a "seed" internally, which only needs the right conditions to grow.
The germination and growth of this “seed” and the transformation of the person to a Leader is conditioned by the Environment. In one situation, a person may show natural leadership, while in another, the same person might hesitate to make even a simple decision and withdraw, no matter how well trained they are. In this sense, everyone is a sleeping Leader waiting to be awakened.
No one can be a Leader of themselves; they need a Team - a group of people to lead and a Goal to reach. Again, it depends on the Environment - whether the team already exists or the leader has the chance to build one from scratch. And who makes the better leader - the one who successfully manages an existing team, or the one who builds their own “perfect” team? Definitely, the second option is preferred, but in real life, it almost never happens.
The Goal is the base and the purpose of the Leader and the Team. This is the point of the future, which need to be reached. If there isn't a Goal, why we need a Leader then? And the Leader should strongly believe in this Goal and to transfer his faith to the others in the Team. The Goal, together with the Environment, determines the main qualities a Leader must have - both physical and mental.
Following the things above, I fully believe, that in perfect conditions, in every group, and depending on the Environment and the Goal, a truly Leader will show up naturally. But this is valid only if all individuals in the group have equal opportunities to express themselves freely. Unfortunately, this is not valid for the humans, as far we are able to modify the conditions and to make them not equal for all.
In the wild nature, the Leader is chosen based on key traits, which he need to have – usually the strongest and powerful enough in the terms of physical force and adaptation to the Environment. Some times this is demonstrate with fights between the candidates, but only if the candidates are almost “equals”. By some researches, the animals have a “six” sense and the Leader is known “by default”, i.e. everybody knows his position in the group and can claim for the position of the Leader only when the is internally capable enough.
Since humans are the most intelligent species, the ability to think and use past knowledge gives a Leader a unique advantage - to create a Strategy by anticipating the future and preparing both themselves and their team. In my career, I have seen many examples of great leadership in different situations, and the common factor was always Preparation. In theory, there is a saying known as the “5 Ps” - “Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance”. I think that this is the major rule, which everyone should keep in his mind in any situation, doesn't matter if he is a Leader or just a member of the group.
The Strategy and the Preparation should be pointed not just externally – to the Environment, but also internally – to the Team. This should be split on two major tasks – first is everybody to do what he can (and should) do (i.e. right person on right place) and second - all team members to have a proper Motivation to reach the Goal. Both tasks are difficult - finding the right person is almost impossible, so the Team needs training; Motivation, on the other hand, differs for each individual.
Big Goal in the future is usually not enough as Motivation - from one side is should be split on several small goals, from the other – the Leader should find a personal motivation for each one, usually absolutely different from the common Goal. Also, a part of the internal strategy is to give some Degrees of Freedom on every member of the Team. From a psychological point of view, everyone needs a space where they feel safe and not under pressure.
The Degrees of Freedom defines how creative each Team member can (and hopefully will) be. Even in the military, where everything is strict and determined, the soldiers have a space for his own “little” decisions. Depending on the Goal and the Enviroment, and by controling the Degrees of Freedom, the Leader can ensure different Team results and as “abstract” the Goal is, then more creative the Team should be.
"Perfect" Teams have one general characteristic – all members are focused (directly or indirectly) on the Goal. The Team thinks as one; it's on the same “Wave”. And this is not just a figuratively term – scientific research in the early 20th century found that each brain generates waves at different frequencies. Successful tunning of the waves is a key for better performance.
According to research, Alpha brain waves are closely linked to creativity. Those waves have electrical frequencies between 8-13 hertz and are most present in a wakeful state that is characterized by a relaxed and effortless alertness. The brains of creative people can generate big Alpha brain wave bursts, and do so when they are faced with problems to solve. Any time the person have an insight or an inspiration, his brain just produced more Alpha waves than usual.
How to tune the waves? Using the join team initiatives, different from the main work is one of the option. Music as an Art can also do the same - the calming and self-healing effects of music are known to everybody on earth. Music offers a simple and universal way to tune alpha waves. As people listen, they relax, feel connected, and think more clearly.
“The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one-seventh of its bulk above water.” - Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist
© 2014/2025 Nikola Vasilev