Oluwaseun Thomas

5 Reasons Why The Best Leaders Are Imperfect There are lots of misconceptions and myths about various things in the modern world. One such myth is the myth of the “self-made man”. There is no such thing as a self-made man. Every successful person builds on the success, amenities, and knowledge provided either by the society he lives in or by another individual. Just like the myth of the self-made man, there is the myth or misconception of the perfect leader. In truth, the best leaders are imperfect. In the media, in books, and in tales, we are informed of stories of traditional leaders of old. We are presented with the ideas of perfect leaders whose opinions superseded the opinions of others, and who had the duty of providing the solutions to problems at every level. Such perfect leaders often gave little room for other members of their groups to make decisions or do anything apart from follow instructions. However, the truth is that no human is all-knowing, and accepting imperfection in leaders instead of shaming them is more likely to yield better results. An imperfect leader is a leader who recognizes his own limitations and accepts them. While societies generally thought of such leaders as “incompetent”, the truth is that an incompetent leader is one who cannot lead his group to success. An imperfect leader by virtue of knowing and accepting limitations offers far more to a group than a “perfect leader”. In this article, we will discuss five reasons why the best leaders are imperfect. Five Reasons Why The Best Leaders Are Imperfect An Imperfect Leader is A Realist There is no such thing as a perfect leader who knows everything and has a solution to everything. By accepting his or her limits as a human being, a leader is better equipped to see weaknesses in his or her group and is better equipped to deal with it. Where a leader is expected to know it all and provide all the solutions, you run the risk of having a leader who is deluded and believes that by virtue of his or her position as leader, whatever he or she comes up with is the right decision. This could prove tragic in critical situations where the very best minds are needed to provide solutions. A leader who isn’t allowed to accept his limitations will defeat his group with his weaknesses. An Imperfect Leader Encourages Members To Be Better When a leader is imperfect, then the leader knows everything cannot start and end with him or her. So, the leader must delegate responsibilities and authority to members of his group. By placing responsibility on members, the leader upgrades the average skill level of members of his group, ensuring that his group is more skilled than any group where one person provides all the answers. This sort of leadership is seen in organized businesses and National Organizations. In these sorts of organizations, a leader is not expected to be all-knowing, and so, there are experts who are tasked to handle specific situations. Better Co-ordination Where you have a “perfect leader,” he or she usually has no need to co-ordinate his or her team. At best, co-ordination is minimal because responsibilities are limited to the inner circle. However, where you have an imperfect leader, he or she recognizes the need for contributions from persons at every level of the group. The imperfect leader also knows that all the efforts from the different levels of the group must be in rhythm and must be monitored. So, there is often an effort to keep tabs on efforts made at different levels and to co-ordinate them. Hence, there is usually more co-ordination with an imperfect leader. When such co-ordination is repeated regularly, it becomes a skill the imperfect leader masters. Humility An imperfect leader is often a humble fellow who recognizes that he or she is not the finished product and will always need improvement. So, instead of looking down on people who lack certain skills, an imperfect leader’s humility helps him or her realize that everyone cannot be good at the same thing or everything. Hence, an imperfect leader is more likely to help a team member find places where the team member’s strengths are more suitable. An imperfect leader’s humility also makes the teammates more comfortable and bolder to try out new methods that might work. Where the leader is arrogant and perfect, talents and ideas within the team are often hidden for fear of incurring the perfect leader’s wrath. An Imperfect Leader Relates Better With Individual Team Members And Inspires Improvements Where a leader is perfect and has to come up with solutions on his own, the leader spends more time isolated or isolating other members of the group who can contribute meaningfully. The only set of people a perfect leader relates with and knows properly are the members of his inner circle. However, an imperfect leader is often interested in the skillsets and potentials of his teammates and tries to relate with them. An imperfect leader understands failure since he is allowed to fail, and so encourages teammates when they fail. In comparison, a perfect leader is less likely to tolerate failure. An imperfect leader by relating with his teammates and helping them get better at their roles, inspires their trust in themselves, their leader, and their group. This does wonders for team morale on the long run.