Leader. A big word that has surrounded my life for the past two years as I progressed through my journey as a Laidlaw scholar. I would probably be a millionaire if I got a dollar for every time I’ve been asked to give an opinion about leadership, leadership traits, leadership development, future leaders,… during this time. Even though it’s quite unfortunate that I’m not wealthy yet, it does make me think about the answers I’ve been giving. Would I not be a millionaire already if I had the correct one? Is there a correct one?

I guess we’ll never know. What’s important is that I’ve been thinking about it. And sometimes that’s half the job done. I’ve gone through the trials and tribulations, and from time to time, I wonder whether I’m getting close. I’m probably just scratching the surface of this Roald Dahl-sized pear, but I learned a few things along the way. Let me share them with you.

Before I do that, let me give you another very motivational half-introduction that uses very delicate language but ends up saying much less. It’s about the bigger picture, they all said, as I looked at them as if they weren’t just standing in front of this massively sized picture we call the world (and like me, also struggling to put it all into one frame). Global citizens, am I right? What is it that makes us (them) different from them (us)? How is that for a bigger picture, eh? On a more serious note now, perspective is important in a lot of things we do. For example, in my medical career, you can look at a certain patient’s problem with a lens of multiple specialities and get a different result. As leaders, we need to use the power of perspective to lead the team. Is this employee performing really poorly because they’re not as capable, is out to destroy the team morale due to a personal vendetta, or are they just actually trying to work through their dog dying last month, and the dog just so happened to be their late mother’s last gift to them? Bigger picture? There are a hundred different reasons why things are the way they are, and we shouldn’t obsess over small details; instead, keep the final goal in mind and work towards the best we can.  

But perception and the bigger picture aren’t the sole magical key to leadership. You might give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but people are using you, the team is not successful, and no one’s the wiser. That’s why I also like to do this silly thing called meditation. You calm down, you think about all the planetary bodies around you, and say “Eureka”,… and I’ve probably lost all the non-believers that this blog is actually getting somewhere. I was actually going to say that the whole point of tiring yourself with perception is finding a balance. Balanced Perspective- don’t give in to the temptation of just following your own intuition, but also don’t listen to or believe others too much. I’ve learned both the hard way. During my Laidlaw weekend in Carlingford, when our team was trying to successfully beat the other team (I know such honourable a cause), I was initially struggling with trying to get my perspective out there because I believed that I knew the best solution to solving the puzzles. It didn’t really work as we were all doing that, but then I tried to let other people take the lead, and it also didn’t work, because my knowledge/ perspective would have likely helped us solve the puzzle. So there I was, bamboozled, trying to figure out how to do this leadership thing, when to listen,  when to lead. When to be a team member, when to be a team leader. (see the picture below for cogwheels in my brain working overtime).

Wait, hold on there for a second, you thought this blog was about leadership and being global citizens. Newsflash, to be a good leader, you actually have to be a team member first, and then continue to be a team member because a leader is still part of a team. And also actually listen to what others are saying, not just secretly trusting your own gut (it can be wrong too, believe me). And being a global citizen is much of the same thing. In a way, global citizens are really just leaders of their own balanced perspective. They listen and take on the scientifically proven information relevant to the geopolitical environment they’re in, and apply it with a meticulous sense of the bigger picture. That way, you can navigate any conflict, any discussion, but most importantly, get to the finish line and succeed.

Well, finally, unless you’re already Elon Musk, this trick should do the job. Hopefully, you become a millionaire, forget it, and never look back, as many have on this path before (just kidding, PSA that is not what you should do).