The Circle That Closes All Paths
It adds immense significance to your leadership, without losing sight of the perfect human ideal that other people carry in their souls.
I want to start this article by talking about a historical moment that has the famous Russian general Alexander Suvorov at the center of the action. The precious victories at Trebia, Novi, and Cassano had extinguished the enthusiasm of his army. The vanguard no longer wanted to go to France. Suvorov addressed his soldiers, but no one listened. Everything seemed lost. Not if he had used any powerful means to bring the rebels back into subjection.
Suvorov took eight sergeants and ordered them to dig a pit. After 10 minutes the pit was ready, much to the amazement of the entire army that gathered in a circle, climbing the two hillsides along the road.
Then Suvorov dismounted, broke his sword, and threw it into the pit; he tore off his epaulets, one by one, and threw them into the pit; then he took the decorations that covered his chest and threw them over his sword and epaulets. At last, undressing to his skin, he lay down in the pit himself, shouting aloud:
- Cover me with earth and leave your general here ! You are no longer my children; I am no longer your parent; there is nothing left for me but to die !
At these words, spoken in such a loud voice that they had been heard by the whole army, the Russian soldiers leaped into the pit weeping, and lifted the general into their arms, begging him to forgive them and lead them into battle against the enemy.
- That’s more like it ! Suvorov shouted. “I recognize my children.” Against the enemy ! Against the enemy !
Is your position based on a persuasive power that reflects your fear of losing something that is important to you, especially if you are unsure of how others around you feel?
A leader never gives up his position. When you want to strengthen your relationships with those you lead, never give up your position. Suvorov did not give up his position. But he persuaded his soldiers to believe in him, convinced them by the power of suggestion, by his will, that his position was the key to success in that difficult time.
A leader who does not rely on his persuasive power, who does not know how to maintain his position, is like a racing driver in the competition of his life, whose car runs out of fuel. Once you have built relationships with people and moved to a higher level of performance, never give up or neglect those relationships.
Leadership is like a circle that closes all the other people’s paths – the paths stemming from the center or outskirts, and vice versa. I say this because the only way to win people over to your side is to dispel any confusion about your way of achieving your goals and correct them, by your will, by faith, by the power of persuasion and suggestion, by highlighting their potential – in one direction, the one you want.
The indicator towards a path to be followed is the personal example that best reflects your leadership position. You need to be a role model for people, to give them a better understanding of the essence of your leadership. And I believe that your attitude towards people’s opinions, expectations and perspectives determines their attachment to you. If you let people gain ground in front of your leadership, it means that your level of influence is superficial. It adds immense significance to your leadership, without losing sight of the perfect human ideal that other people carry in their souls.
Do people react bravely to the dynamics of your own deterministic nature reflected in historical consciousness, or are you like a “wheel that spins alone” on the unpredictable path that opens before you?
How do you guide people in the direction you choose? What steps should you take to positively influence their direction of travel? (How can you influence their development prospects? Remember that the element that has the biggest impact on your performance is the level of leadership you have in relation to each person. That’s why I ask you: how do people react to the change imposed by you?
You can’t be accepted as a leader if people don’t understand you, can you? People cannot give you a minimum of confidence if you do not have some roots in their existence, in their will, in their judgment, in their behavior, if your vision does not correspond to the values that guide them on the path to performance and success. Thus, judge well the values that guide people before you take the step that brings you closer to them.
Give your leadership a chance if you want to keep your position longer. To do this, you need to enter into the inner world of other people, to approach them morally and emotionally, to read their deepest feelings, showing them the significance of the mission, its importance, and the reasons why they need to keep getting involved with increasing momentum. Your attitude and ability to adapt to each situation is the key to the whole process of polishing your leadership.
Leadership is what makes you feel strong and followed by other people, when the time of history feeds on your decision making.
The Circle That Closes All Paths actually reveals the mobilization of other people for action, for good results, for a reality in which life is no longer limited to “surviving”, but to contributing to the achievement of a great goal capable of making history. All who follow the leader faithfully (to the end) close the circle of trust on which the leader relies, feeling compelled to act in the name of a cause that often removes the punishable nature of an act.
