An Old Soldier Speaks his Mind.

The following article is an old posting of more than a year ago. I thought it might be interesting to revisit .....

"LEADERSHIP THROWN OVERBOARD…?

Leadership is such a vital element in any grouping, even for the smallest family unit, and all the way to the national level and beyond.

It is the one key factor that would greatly determine the degree of success in any undertaking. Outside of God’s will and Luck, this might well be the most critical success factor for the overall well-being of any group……one that they, those who are within the group, can generally still control and dictate — if they should really want to.

I read my first book on Leadership (by John Adair) when I was eighteen. It was a mandatory text for our Leadership syllabus during the two years of our Officer Cadet training at what was then the Federation Military College. And before anyone asks me what I can remember learning from that book, let me say upfront that I don’t recall a thing of it, although I do not have any doubt it must have also helped contribute to my overall understanding and grasp of Leadership.

Since that early insight into the subject, the nature of our military profession had subsequently exposed us to many situations of the highest and often critical leadership demands. It was a most fertile training ground for leadership development from day one itself.

Admittedly, not too unlike other professions, the experience might not be totally wide ranging and all embracing. The key difference, however, is the sheer risk of poor leadership in those critical situations we were faced with, sometime with likely deadly consequences. This made our every learning reflections on our practical experience on the subject of leadership a very serious and critical self-learning in each case, making every lesson indelibly meaningful and telling.

This, I sincerely believe, made us soldiers appreciate, understand, value, and hold in such great esteem the role of leadership, leadership positions, and leaders.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, it also makes us, less compromising with our expectations of the standards and quality of leadership — especially with truthfulness, sincerity, integrity, and untempered loyalty to King and Country. Any deviation from these qualities, especially when it becomes a threat to the nation, would render us totally disillusioned, willing and ready to do the needful.

THIS IS WHAT MAKES THE THINGS THAT ARE CURRENTLY HAPPENING IN THE COUNTRY PAINFULLY REVOLTING, SAD, DEPRESSING, AND WORRYING FOR MANY – I AM CERTAINLY ONE OF THEM!"

Kamaruddin Mohd Jamal