If someone asks what are the qualities required to be a leader? Immediately there will be some responses like a leader should have a vision, should be encouraging, should have excellent communication skills. Should have analytical abilities. However, one quality that set a great leader apart from the rest is the ability to break the barrier. Breaking barriers in lay man's language means to do something unconventional. It means not to follow the crowd and create their path.
Every individuals and organization is governed by a set of principles which has proven its effectiveness over a period of time. These principles become natural laws and governing social values that are instilled in peoples mind. People follow these laws and values as the way to do things to be done and pass it on as a legacy over the centuries. Organizations sticking to the same rules or the ideals in which their predecessor used to run it often leads the organization to be in shambles. A successful leader realises that although the proven laws and values have to be respected at times, it is necessary to break the barriers and have a paradigm shift which can completely change one’s outlook and eventually transform one’s organization.
Throughout history, we have witnessed how breaking the barrier has resulted in being successful. Be it Christopher Columbus who challenged the conventional wisdom by sailing west in hopes of discovering a new route to the Indies. Steve Jobs revolutionized the Smartphone Industry by launching the iPhone and thus creating a loyal iPhone user base. Closer home Reliance Jio changed the narrative of the Internet by offering Internet at a very cheaper rate and thus making the Internet available to people of every social stratum. Had these leaders stuck to the typical way they won’t have achieved the success they got.
Every significant breakthrough is the result of a courageous break with the traditional ways of thinking, and this involves risks. Leaders who break barriers are well aware of the risk they are taking; they don’t work based on their impulse. However, at the same time, they are cognizant of the fact that they won’t be able to know their potential or capabilities unless they don’t take these risks or lay it on the line. They overcome the fear of failure and develop a mindset which helps them and their business reach a new height of success. They are conscious of the fact that there won’t be any growth and development in the organization if they stay put because of their apprehension about doing things which are riskier than what they usually do.
Although the leader is the one who takes the risk of breaking the barrier if the leader is not backed by a supportive team who relates to the vision and the ambition of the leader, it would defeat the very objective of breaking the barrier. Hence it becomes imperative for a leader to set up a team who identify with the goals and objectives of the organization.
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