A leader's Predicament

One major characteristic which distinguishes a leader from others is his ability to dream a non-existent future. His ability to paint a future and articulate the direction in which his team should proceed in order to achieve the stated goal gives him the title of " Visionary ". Besides that, cajoing the team and coaxing them to carry on in spite of setbacks along with the way apart from providing certain milestones as indication of progress also are strong differentiators for great leaders.

Now, a word of caution. History is replete with cases where the Leaders have held on to their views rather dogmatically and unable to come to terms with the changing scenerio and trends. Its one thing to hold on to our views rather passionately but it should be tempered with the trends and external conditions which are more transient and prone to rapid changes. These could involve new legal restrictions, environmental laws, political landscape, or disruptive technologies which could disrupt the rules of the game.

Did the Landline Telecom companies forsee the impending threats of Internet Protocol based phones ?

So, it will be worthwhile to ponder how much should a leader hold an idea close/dear to his heart. How much passion should he pump into his team and when should one change directions citing changed market conditions. How will his team react to such mid-course corrections and what should a leader do to continue to inspire faith in his comrades.