To Be a Leader Is a Big Responsibility
Who is a leader?
A leader is someone who leads, and whom the others just follow. If the leader falters, goes astray, then those behind him or her also do the same.
We all have this tendency — if we trust someone, then we start blindly following that person. You don’t check every now and then whether he is doing right or not. We don’t want to go through that effort again and again.
It is like a trekking path — you just follow the person who is right in front of you. You presume that the person who is at the front, who is the leader or a professional guide, is taking you in the right direction.
Who can be this leader?
A social leader, managers in organisations, decision-makers, parents — even parents or elders in the family are leaders, because they lead, they show the path, they show how to live.
Bhagawan says in the Gita –
यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते
Whatever the leader does, others just imitate that. You see this in guru–shishya relationships also. That’s how humans are.
The leader or the manager or the guide has a great social responsibility also. It is not just about his or her progress. Because others look up to the leader. They pick up from the leader and start doing the same.
So, if there is a lazy, undisciplined father at home, there is no wonder if the children also grow up like him.
If someone is just an ordinary man, a commoner, a common man in some context, then it doesn’t matter much. But before you assume the role of a leader, you have to think:
Is my behaviour proper?
Am I disciplined?
Am I setting a good example for others?
Even when you are about to start a family, you have to think outside of yourself — your own needs and expectations from the family.
Tomorrow, I will have children. They will learn so many things from me, looking at me. Am I a good example to learn from?
If you think you are not, better not start a family — or mend your ways before you do. This sense of responsibility should be there with you.
Same applies in every context.
Getting a promotion is not just about a better seat or better pay. Are you good enough for that? If you are not, you may get it, but you will not be able to sustain it.
Always choose something for which you are fit. Or go on improving so that you can aspire for more and better.
So here, Bhagawan says two things –
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Others look up to you. As a leader, it is not a one-man journey. Others are constantly watching you.
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The example that you set is what others will follow.
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते
This also — you have to be watchful.
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