When I got into a leadership role for the first time way back in May 2004, I was a wannabe tigress. Reality quickly turned me into a scaredy cat. Circumstances made me a conniving fox. Ambition had me soaring like a fierce falcon. For the ones who put their trust in me, I was a loyal dog. Experience converted me into a wise old owl. I thus traversed the entire length and breadth of the animal kingdom in order to find my leadership spirit animal but what I ultimately realized is that there is no single animal that can be the spirit animal of any leader worth his or her salt. It has to be a chimera of sorts with the strength of an elephant, the agility of a cheetah, the flight of an eagle, the vision of a hawk, the wisdom of an owl, the loyalty of a dog, the cunningness of a fox, the speech of a parrot, the industriousness of an ant and that’s not all. Some qualities of mythical creatures are required to be a part of this spirit animal. Like the ability to create magic like a unicorn and the ability to rise from the ashes like a phoenix. Sadly, no such animal exists so for those aspiring to be leaders, you just need to be human.

Being human has its own set of drawbacks. Especially if you are a leader in the corporate world. When I look at Instagram posts on leaders, I feel extremely sorry for myself because I know that I am not as bad, corrupt, almost demoniac as the leaders that are portrayed there. When I look at LinkedIn posts on the other hand, I feel extremely guilty because I know that I am not as saintly, almost God-like as they say ideal leaders should be. Typically, leaders tend to oscillate between these two extremes generally settling down at their own centers of gravity which depend on their personalities, the circumstances, and what is expected of them. There is no such thing as an ideal leader in this world. Even the ones who led for a bigger purpose like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and the like, had their fair share of opposers and went through immense hardships during their lifetimes.

The majority of us though, are working for a much more tactical purpose – the elephant in the room that no one seems to notice or ignore conveniently – profits for the company which translates into our own salaries, and thus everything boils down to an objective that is highly materialistic in nature. If you remove money from the picture, the entire Maslow’s pyramid built around the expected higher realm of the spiritualistic purpose of being a great leader, will fall down like a pack of cards. Even principles like Ikigai, talk not just about doing what you love, what the world needs, and what you are good at, but also what you get paid for.

If you really want ideal leaders though, it would be best to create them using Artificial Intelligence. The Super AI based on capabilities could make this leader think reasonably, solve complicated problems, and make correct decisions while the Self-Aware AI based on functionalities could make them super intelligent and able to detect the feelings of their team members thus making them better at empathizing & connecting with them at a higher level.

Of course, till this really happens, we have to deal with the present-day problems that have made the role of leaders highly vulnerable in the so-called democratic corporate world. Unbeknownst to their teams, they are constantly controlled by various governing bodies, they are expected to run businesses at low costs, generate high profits, and at the same time keep their teams happy and also get evaluated by everyone around them.

So, what do we do? Either we reduce the need for leadership to an extent where most of our processes are simplified and automated or we train ourselves as leaders to maintain a zen-like balance in the way we approach the modern-day problems of today’s workforce. In short, do not get fazed out by what is thrown at you, (provided you are not really the kind of leader Instagram thinks we all are – in which case what will be thrown, is you, out of the company). On the flip side, don’t even try to be a God because that too will result in your expulsion considering the fact that no one likes to hear the truth – especially when it is thrown at you in a raw, undisguised, unpalatable manner. As a God, you will tend to hurt someone’s sentiments because you are not really God, you are human and you will again tend to get thrown out, albeit in an inhuman way. If you try to be human and bring your authentic self to work, you might still invite trouble; considering the fact that you will reveal who you truly are deep inside and your thoughts, words, and actions will be in sync with that core identity of yours and might not align with the authentic selves of others. In this battle between several authentic selves, people might just stop caring about what others think.

So, try to maintain the balance as far as possible and understand that you get paid for your job – the self-affirmation that works best for me. And this is not the only job in the world. If you are not able to lead a team, lead yourself. After all, you are the master of your fate and you are the captain of your soul. In that sense, we are all leaders whether we have any followers or not.