Adversity defines a Leader

Great leaders are called so, for their ability to deal with difficult and daunting situations. History is testimony to this fact. There are examples of many leaders who hailed from a political background yet their innate political acumen fell short when faced with challenges. There are many others, who did not have any skills needed to run a political show, but the challenges they were faced with, made them stalwarts in the eyes of the public.

The abilities or skills needed to be a political leader can be acquired from a University or through an education program. However, the true ability of a leader is seen during those crisis situations that are intractable and uncontrollable. The theoretical concepts learnt at the time seldom apply, and a pragmatic approach becomes inevitable. It’s only when a political leader can rise to a restive situation of such enormity will he be considered great. But for those who fail to live to up to such an exacting plight may well have their said political skills tantamount to non-existent.

A classic example is the case of the current President Barack Obama. His election campaign was well-thought out and executed in the most stupendous fashion. It seemed like there was a revolutionary leader from Utopia who landed here to set things impeccably right. His impressive rhetoric and promising speeches meant that not only America, but the whole world can now breathe a sigh of relief seeing their woes disappear into thin air. But as the time passed in the White House, the woeful economy did not ameliorate and neither did the surge in employment see the light of day. When it came to facing the real challenges seen in economic downturns or armed conflicts in the Middle Eastern countries, he fell short of many expectations. He was deemed a not-so-great political leader. His perception in the eyes of the public had taken a huge setback and his popularity was thinning down to a trickle.

On the other hand there are plenty of small countries rife with political challenges in everyday life. Their leaders are nearly taken to be demi-Gods as they are incumbent to constantly perform, else subject to jeopardy of their clout. These leaders do not have any inherent political abilities or the sharp acumen of a political mind. Instead their challenges force them to perform effectively in the worst of situations. Let’s take for example a country like South Africa. Nelson Mandela, the president of African National Congress and also the President of the country after the end of the slavish regime, helped the country grow to the ranks of one of the rapidly developing nations of the world. A country stricken with abject poverty and rampant unemployment, Mandela brought in reforms in South Africa in a steadfast and effective way. Today, South Africa is a country part of the BRICS group of developing nations and is a prominent voice among the many Economic Summits conducted every year.

It brings us to conclude that leaders like Mandela are considered to be highly endearing to the public eye. Their ability to resolve the most troubled of issues with perceivably least damage make them great leaders to be remembered for many years to come.

The amount of struggles and conflicts a political leader deals with can well make him great or plain ordinary. Indeed, the events during the time of a leader can shape his political destiny. A plausibly great leader may be unfortunate to reign during a time of scarce challenges and modicum issues. Seemingly indicating that abilities of a leader could be many, but if the time is not fortuitous to put them through a regression test, they stand unsubstantiated.