Three fears, three joys

On September 03, 2010, in Leadership plus, by Neculai Fantanaru

Rise above your own weaknesses, without affecting the well-defined essence of your leadership.

Lord Glenarvan, together with his little crew, of which were part and Mary and Robert Grant, rushed into the unknown, with the thought of finding Captain Grant. For months, they crossed seas and oceans, with no result. Reaching the shores of Australia, they were stuck for good in their search, especially since their ship, Duncan, had been damaged. They felt like hikers abandoned by their guide on a desert island.

Quite by chance, in their search on the island, they found the Scottish Ayron, one of the shipwrecked men of Britannia vessel, whose captain was Harry Grant. Lord Glenarvan, who was the initiator of the search expedition, and also the leader of the entire crew, aware that their roads were blocked and that his erudition was in vain at that moment, he demanded Ayron's opinion, asking for his advice, and demanding him to lead them through the woods of the province Victoria to the Eastern coast. Ayron accepted:

“Thank you, my lord, for the trust you gave me, and I hope to be worthy of it. I know this country a little, and I will be helpful to you.”

When the music changes, the dance changes as well

There is nothing more enviable than the destiny of those heroes who have achieved great things. However, the important man is the one who had led them to success. Ayron, who imposed himself from the very beginning with a sharp personality, became the only guarantee to save Harry Grant. His presence was an invincible force. The physical and moral energy of the small crew led by Lord Glenarvan, reaching its maximum intensity, would have given up if their savior had not appeared, envisioning them a future fulfillment of their goals, thus edging hope into their souls.

The main challenge the leader had to face consists of disappointing results. Deserted on the shores of Australia, Lord Glenarvan, whose knowledge of guiding the entire crew based on every moment of the journey, had reached the moment when he had no more power. It was the moment when, for the first time, his forces had left him, and he had no longer the same self-confidence. For the first time the crew shared his fears. Because their Duncan ship was damaged, and they had no map to rely on Australian land. Besides, they had not advanced at all in their quest to find Captain Grant.

A drop of wisdom

In every leader's life there comes a time when everything seems to be collapsing. Then, wisdom urges him to leave the place to another one who will be more useful than him.

In that crucial moment, Lord Glenarvan's wisdom was tested, not his courage or his spirit of initiative. Meeting Ayron, he gave his place, the leading position, to him, because he no longer felt able to reach his goal. It would have been a wrong decision if they were stubborn to continue the search expedition without knowing which way to go.

You cannot progress if you stand still. Sometimes, you have to give up your position of the leader and transfer the rights conferred by this function to somebody else, to be able to step forward to a hopeful future and to evolve. All probability calculation formulas would have given little chance of success to the crew, with Lord Glenarvan as its leader, no matter how autodidact he was. All his knowledge could produce no results compared to the ability of Ayron, the Scotsman, who knew the territory, and knew almost certainly where the captain was.

Three fears, three joys

In my opinion, a leader is afraid of three things: to lose his power of influence because of his disappointing results (which means to be dismissed from his position), to express his feelings openly, and to make enemies.

Lord Glenarvan showed a great maturity in thinking and a high capacity of understanding, giving up his position of the leader to the Scotsman. He understood that his crew had no chance to succeed with him leading them. Thus, he rose above his own weaknesses, without affecting the well-defined essence of his leadership.

You cannot stop, nurse, encourage people with promises in vain. You cannot lead them living with the regret that you do not know which one is the direction you should follow.

Nevertheless, it was a great joy to Lord Glenarvan and to his crew to be around of the one who, fully devoting to a dangerous mission, could fulfill it. It was a great joy for him to be able to communicate with Ayron openly, without any conflict of interest. It was a great joy to escape the burden of shame and even of his conscience because he was not able to achieve his goal.

Conclusion: Like anyone who has a higher level of influence, the leader has his fears and joys that appear in critical situations, when it seems that he no longer has ways out of the impasse, or in situations of success which enjoys everyone. Like a sun that rises and then sets, the leader must know when and how to pass the baton in order for the initial goals to be achieved.

When the tree fears become real, and especially when another man more competent than you arises, you must admit and give him your place, no matter how painful it would be. Be glad that there is still someone able to accomplish what you have started.

 

Nota: Jules Verne - The Children of Captain Grant, Editura Herra, 2003.