You can’t say no. Just hold your breath, and wait! If you’re to laugh yourself into learning, that’s fine. I am simply trying to think aloud so as to give you a rare chance to eavesdrop in my mind. And here are my thoughts: A leader must be tall to be excellent.
1 – Delegation:
A time will come when some items needed to prosper the organization are at the lower levels close to the ground. Given his height, he may not be able to access them quickly. It takes more time for a tall man to pick something from the ground than the shorter one. This means that those things down will be done by those shorter ones under him by default. And this automatically makes him very excellent at delegation – an important component in excellent leadership.
2 – Vision:
Short men see near. They can’t see beyond that short hill in front of them. But the tall ones can easily see the direction the team is taking because their height can allow them to see far beyond the horizon. This enables them to have the overall bigger picture of where the organization is going to because they can see that bigger picture – and this is what many have called vision. Without a vision, people perish. If you don’t know where you’re going, you even won’t realize when you reach there. You’ll continue moving! The tall leader is at an advantage here!
3 – Kindness:
Of course, with the tall height comes the big heart! And the bigger the leader’s heart, the luckier the people he leads are! He won’t find difficulty in forgiving those who make human mistakes at work because his heart is big enough to accommodate them too. He may even be able to give a piece of his heart to any who needs encouragement. With the big heart, he won’t struggle with giving and giving and giving: his time, his wisdom, his finances, and even his life! What a wonderful leader to have!
4 – Scapegoat:
Imagine the short leader who gets lost in the crowd, among those he leads! Even when trouble comes, those he leads face it rough. It comes to them direct. But my friend, the tall leader, is easily seen before those he leads. He “stands out” of the crowd, far above any other. And so if any danger is to come to the organization, it hits him first and the rest are saved. Isn’t this a good quality of an excellent leader – being a scapegoat of those he leads?!
5 – Listening:
Tall people usually have relatively bigger ears than short people. In most cases, the body height is in direct proportion to the ear size. With this ample endowment of the sizeable ears, the leader will be better positioned to receive more sounds than he produces. And this will enable him to be more of a listener than a talker! While others talk and talk, he takes time to listen and listen. God was wise enough to give us two ears and one mouth: more listening and less talking! A listening leader can be approachable.
6 – Security:
When people are not sure of their fate in any organized group, their hearts can never be at rest. This fear freezes them into poor performance. But given a tall leader, the height of a giant, those led are sure of protection. He can ably subdue any force that invades them. He is like a strong gun before his people! With this security assured, employee retention becomes higher because no one is running away from anything. The giant has assured them of safety!
7 – Discipline and Respect:
Have you ever heard about the center of gravity? It can be defined as the balance point of an object; the point through which a force will cause pure translation; or the point about which gravity moments are balanced. This explains why it is not easy to pull down a short man. You see, he is already down there, close to the ground. Scientifically speaking, his center of gravity is closer to the ground and so he cannot fall even when he is pushed. But for the tall leader, the center of gravity is higher, far off from the ground, making him very vulnerable to falling down at the slightest push. Such a leader, therefore, will be disciplined, respecting everyone he works with, aware that the moment he misbehaves, it’ll be easier for those under him to push him out of office!
Can I drive the point home?
Well, this tallness is not about the physical height. It is about the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes that the leader has. An excellent leader should have more height in his knowledge of the tasks to be accomplished. He should be tall in the necessary skills. His value height should be taller than those he leads. That’s what makes him a leader – someone ahead of others, someone being followed.
How I wish the generation of “tall leaders” may increase in our time! These would display more grace, compassion, care, and kindness. They would show good discipline, and respect for all. Those they lead would be secure, safe, and protected by their own leader. The whole team would move in the right direction due to the effect of a visionary leader. There would be no sour relations that come out of the blame game, because the leader would be willing to take responsibility – even on behalf of the team members. “Tall leaders” offer excellent leadership. Shall you be one?
