Many
people want to take on leadership positions
because they want the glamour, praise, fame
and honor, but leadership has many other
dimensions. As this is my third and last
year as International President, I would
like to bring to your attention to another
dimension of leadership – that is
"THE PRICE OF LEADERSHIP".
If you want to be
a VISIONARY leader, then you must
be able to anticipate challenges ahead of
other people. You should be able to introduce
preventive measures in a timely manner.
But before you dream that people would applaud
you for your work, remember the story of
Noah. Noah, who anticipated the great flood,
was ridiculed by many people while he was
building the Ark. He was not celebrated
until after the flood waters came. In the
same token, if you are truly ahead of your
time, chances are many people would not
yet understand the challenges and issues
that you are trying to address. Until those
challenges become apparent, you may be ridiculed
and misunderstood.
If you want to be a
VICTORIOUS leader, then you must
learn to conquer defeat. Victory is achieved
by those who persevere despite setbacks,
but rarely by those who never experience
setbacks. You have to dare to solve problems
instead of ignoring them to avoid controversy.
When a desirable win-win solution cannot
be attained, you must be willing to accept
both positive and negative consequences
of your decision, especially if the action
taken is for the greater good in the long
run. When you face a tough situation, count
your blessings from those who continue to
stand by you. Yet, you must realize that
while everyone wants to be on the winning
side, not everyone dares to engage in a
dangerous battle. Out of fear, some may
even distance themselves from you as far
as possible. So, you have to find enough
strength to forgive those who promised to
support you by their words but did not follow
through by their deeds.
If you want to be a
leader who MAKES A DIFFERENCE then
you have to be resourceful even when you
face limited resources. If you are discouraged
because you do not have enough power, enough
money or enough people to help you make
a difference, remember this story of a farmer
and a nobleman.
Decades ago, there
was a farmer who saved a young boy’s
life. A noble man who was the boy’s
father wanted to reward the farmer with
money, but the farmer would not accept
it. So a noble man pledged instead to
send the farmer’s son to school
to get the level of education enjoyed
by his own son. This offer was accepted
by the farmer. The farmer’s son
graduated from a medical school in the
United Kingdom and later invented a medicine.
Years later, this medicine was used to
save millions of lives, including the
life of the nobleman’s son. The
name of the nobleman’s son was Sir
Winston Churchill. The name of the farmer’s
son was Sir Alexander Fleming. The medicine
he invented was penicillin. And who do
you think saved the world? For me, the
credit would go to this farmer for his
act of kindness and the noble man for
providing a scholarship.
In reality, we always face
limitations, one way or another. So if you
want to make a difference, then don’t
use the lack of resources as an excuse for
non performance. You have to look for innovative
ways to overcome those limitations.
If you want to be a good
leader, you must be willing to pay the price
of leadership. May the light from candles
in this year’s Candle Lighting Ceremony
shine through and guide you to become a
successful leader in your community, your
country and even in the world!
Chonchanok Viravan
BPW International President
3 December 2007 |
