An Example of a Real Life Leader

What Makes an Individual a Great Leader?

Background

My friend Pio came to America in the 1990s when he was just under 30 years of age. He had been born and raised in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India. For the previous ten years of his life he had been in a Catholic seminary in India, on his way to becoming a priest. However, before reaching the final stages of that journey he took some time away from the seminary and decided to enter the secular life so as to provide financial support for his family, whose business was failing. He enrolled in school for Information Technology (IT) and after earning a degree in a short amount of time was approached by head hunters from America who hired him to come to the US and work in the IT department of a major US financial firm.

His first destination in the US was the Midwest, but Pio found life here difficult: it was too quiet and he felt that he stood out from the many white faces all around him. He asked to return to India but his employers found him to be too valuable and they asked what the trouble was. He told them honestly that he was uncomfortable in the quiet environment of the American Midwest. His employers decided to transfer him to New York City, where Pio immediately felt more at home: here was a more chaotic, busier, livelier and diverse environment that reminded him of life in Chennai, the city where he grew up in Tamil Nadu.

He once more set to work as a lowly IT engineer, working for the firm, constantly sending money back home to support his family. He lived in a small apartment and endured a long commute to work every day. After a while, however, he felt the situation was untenable and he complained to his supervisors that he should return home: he barely had enough to live on, as prices were so high in the city and everything he could spare went back home to his family in India. His employers could not understand: they said, “But you’re making $50,000 a year—how is that not enough?” He said, “Yes, you are paying me $50,000 but my head hunters are taking a big cut of that and what is left goes back home to my family.” His employers again did not want to lose him, so they bought out his contract with the head hunters and gave him a raise on top of that—and Pio was again a happier man.

Then Pio received a call from his parents back home telling him that he was to return to be married: they had found a wife for him. Pio dutifully returned and married the woman his parents had selected for him. He literally met her for the first time at the altar where they exchanged vows. While away 9/11 happened and his return with his new wife was delayed for some time—but eventually he was back in New York with his new wife and they began a small family.

Over time, Pio continued to please his supervisors and he developed many new skills so that he was able to work his way up to the top of his IT department. He was not satisfied with simply doing okay—he wanted to be the best so that he could provide the best possible life for his family. He was driven by faith and virtue to work hard and constantly develop himself. He eventually became a manager of his own team and when he realized he was putting on a lot of weight and all his subordinates were doing the same, he said, “All right, that’s it! We are all going to the gym to get in shape!” He found that exercise invigorated him and them even more to be the best versions of themselves they could be.

Today, Pio is a consultant for various firms around the US offering expert advice on IT with respect to the latest advancements in the industry and what firms can do to upgrade their infrastructure. His pay has increased dramatically since arriving in the US in the 1990s, but he is always looking for ways to share his wealth with others because he sees it as his duty from God to work hard so that he can provide support to others who may not be as fortunate or as he has been.

What Makes Pio a Great Leader

What makes Pio a great leader is his vision and his character: he is what I would call an authentic leader—someone who is honest and who acts according to a moral code—a code of ethics that is rooted in his religious convictions. He not only talks the talk (many do this) but also walks the walk—that is to say, he practices what he preaches. Moreover, his example of good conduct inspires others to follow in his footsteps and strive to be the best versions of themselves that they can be. He is such a happy and outgoing individual that he instantly makes one feel warm and welcome. He displays great emotional and social intelligence, always aware of how others might be feeling—a trait and skill he developed no doubt over his time here in America, first as a stranger and then as a beloved laborer who learned quickly how to please others.

Since his humble beginnings here in the US, Pio has risen to the top of his field and now leads many others under him in the service of assisting other firms in updating their digital and technological infrastructure to meet the needs of digital age. His communication skills are excellent, as they must be in order to produce the kind of results he is known for producing. He prides himself on delivering projects on time and under budget and he is perpetually the pride of any who employs him. That kind of consistent performance is an inspiration to others as well, for all are motivated to be better when they are in the company of one who commands his own self with such noble qualities that good things appear to grow from his limbs at will.

Pio has above all personal authenticity—a great character trait that enables others to trust him implicitly. People know that when they are working with him they are going to hear the truth, never lies, and that they are in the hands of one who is not going to betray them or sell them down the river. His word is as good as gold for that is how highly he values it. Because he values his word so highly, others learn to value it as well; and, more than that, they learn to hold themselves to the same high standards of accountability.

For this reason, Pio could also be said to possess the qualities of a transformational leader. He communicates a vision, which he justifies with great logic, reasoning and force that others want to buy-in to it and pursue it as though it were their own personal goal. He does not stop there, however. He supports others with whatever their needs are so that they can work towards that goal, for he is aware that others have limitations. It is not his ambition to hide defects but rather to help others overcome defects by developing them in the right way and pushing them to want to grow on their own so that their innate talents can shine all the more brightly in the world and be of use not only to themselves but also to others in the world.

At root, Pio earns the trust and respect of others through his personal authenticity and through his dedication to the job. One would be hard-pressed to find a better leader in any given situation. He knows how to command, how to defer, and how to delegate. He does not seek to glorify himself but rather to serve the noble ideals that he was taught through his religion.

Incorporating These Qualities into My Life, Workplace and Society

The qualities that Pio possesses as a leader can be incorporated into my own life, workplace and society by thinking about what it is especially that has enabled Pio to excel as an individual so that others trust him as a leader. These qualities are: 1) personal authenticity, 2) social and emotional intelligence, 3) commitment, and 4) excellent communication skills. Personal authenticity is especially important, first and foremost, because it indicates a strong moral code and an ability to earn the trust of others through consistent demonstrations of character, work ethics, and pride in performance. Pio is self-actualizing and in command of himself. One cannot lead others until one is a leader of one’s own self, and Pio is certainly that. I can incorporate that quality into my own life by first mastering myself and developing better habits that will sharpen my ability to lead. For example, Pio has put himself on a consistent and steady regimen of working out, dieting correctly, and engaging in study so that he is constantly up on the things he needs to be up on with respect to his field. He also has a very dedicated prayer life, which keeps him centered, humble and oriented towards the good. I can follow all of these examples in order to generate more positive returns in my own life. Discipline is bred by exercising, abstaining from foods that are not good for one, and training the mind and spirit on the things that are good. If I can develop a routine and daily habit of life like this, I will be able to implement personal authenticity in my own life just as Pio does in his.