A Leader is a Two-Winged Bird

Elnie V. Cadenilla

There was a question that boggles teachers when they are talking about leadership: “To be a leader, which one should you possess, good attitude or smart mind?”. Some teachers are choosing great mind over the other, and some are choosing good heart over the other. As a consequence, all teachers are encountering misunderstandings and biased judgments toward things, making the organization’s goals vague to reach.

One must never be confined with choosing just either a good attitude or a smart mind to be a leader. If you only choose one over the other, you will be a leader by name, not by action.

Having a smart mind is an asset, as it is important in decision-making, problem-solution, and innovations, but if there is no good attitude to empathize to your members, along with respect, trust, and love, they will abhor you. On the other hand, having good attitude is equally important, as loving, caring, respecting, and trusting your members are the start of a good teamwork.

However, if there is ineffective decision-making or planning, teamwork will never take place. Both situations will discredit you as an effective leader.

As a result, both smart mind and good heart are of great equal importance to be a leader. A leader is like a bird, with those two qualities as its left and right wing. If the left wing is missing, the right one cannot function well. If the right wing is the one missing, same situation happens.

But, if both are strong and present, just like a bird, a leader can soar and he can reach no matter how high his dreams can possibly be, and he can be an inspiration to the others who also aspire to be two-winged birds.

--oOo-The author is Teacher III at Corazon C. Aquino High School, Schools Division of Tarlac Province.