"Leadership is not popularity. It is getting results." —Peter Drucker.
People often compare leadership with popularity. Leadership is more of taking responsibility inviting both bouquets and brickbats. It involves a lot of struggles and sacrifices. Leaders undergo a lot of trials and tribulations and more pain than pleasure during their lifetime. Leadership is mostly a thankless job as leaders are often criticized for what was not done properly than the one that was done properly. And leadership is lonely at the top. Frieda Fromm Reichman once remarked, "People are more frightened of being lonely than of being hungry, or being deprived of sleep, or of having their sexual needs unfulfilled"
Leadership is indeed lonely at the top as leaders cannot discuss certain things freely with others and associate with others freely for fear of kicking up controversies and getting wrangled with irrelevant issues. Most of the leaders suffer internally a lot as they are caught between the devil and the deep sea. They are scared of revealing their weaknesses to their peers and friends and avoid talking with people as they might be interpreted wrongly. They cannot afford to lose their hard-earned positions and powers and at the same time, they cannot pursue several things that are close to their hearts. At times associating with others raises expectations and people expect favors from them leaders cannot help as they are committed to their office obligations and oath of secrecy.
Leadership versus Popularity
Popularity and leadership don't go together as both are poles apart. However, some people believe that leadership gives popularity. If leadership gives popularity then it is a bonus for the leaders. When everything goes well people praise and when something goes wrong people criticize. In addition, it is lonely at the top as leaders cannot enjoy privacy and freedom like any other common man. They cannot move freely for fear of security. Overall, they have to struggle and sacrifice a lot as leaders.
A Take-Home Message
“Criticism is something you can avoid easily—by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing." —Aristotle.
Leaders make several decisions and all decisions may not go well. When some decisions go wrong leaders are subjected to severe criticism and they become unpopular. John Maxwell says, "The price of leadership is criticism. No one pays much attention to last-place finishers, but when you're in front, everything gets noticed. Since leaders live with criticism it is important to learn to handle it constructively." At times intentions of the leaders may be good but their actions reflect quite the opposite resulting in unpopularity. You cannot please all. You cannot be good with all. There is always a section of people who may not be happy with your leadership style, policies, and actions. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. to name a few were assassinated not because they were bad leaders but because they failed to please a section of people. Leaders can be good to some while bad for others. The majority of the leaders want to do good things for people. When the interests of a particular section are hurt then leaders are criticized and sometimes assassinated. Hence, leadership is not a popularity contest. Leadership is about taking responsibility and reaching goals and objectives unmindful of bouquets and brickbats. It involves convictions and going ahead with things despite stiff opposition from a few quarters. To conclude, leadership is not a popularity contest. It is taking responsibility, walking the talk, and receiving both bouquets and brickbats.
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