Natural Born Leaders?

Is there such a thing as a natural born leader, or do they have to have the chance to grow into the Job?

In the wake of the Test Team’s 5 nil drubbing of the English Test Team someone asked the question on TV today, whether Ricky Ponting was the best Australian Test Captain ever. The wise answer was that although he has come a long way since the team under him lost the Ashes in 2005 and he is captaining very well at the moment, he still has a way to go to reach his best, let alone to be regarded now as best ever.

Ricky is not the best ever, but this is just another example of a person growing in his job as he is able and allowed to do. Now not everyone in Australia has been on Ricky Ponting’s side in regard to his Captaincy skills. It is not that long ago that, when he first became captain, there were many who thought he should not have got the job ahead of Shane Warne. The Ashes loss did not help his cause either. But he put his head down and his captaincy, and his batting both improved and now his captaincy is both accepted and recognized.

My point here is that very few are born fully talented and experienced and thus have to be allowed to grow into their Jobs. Some do so very well, some don’t. Some don’t get the chance. Some countries, like England recently, have had a whole series of Captains. When they have struggled, they have been replaced, rather than being given the opportunity to grow into the Job.

In Australia, most recently, Taylor, Waugh, & Ponting have all inherited strong teams and gone on to be recognized as strong, good and successful captains. But it has not always been so.

I remember well when Alan Border became Captain. It is no disrespect to him to say that he was not good at it originally, but he was the only one available who was prepared to put his hand up for the Job. I also think it true to say that in his first few season’s he, would have lost the captaincy, many times over, if there had been an obvious alternative. There wasn’t so he stuck at the job and the Cricket Board stuck with him and in due course he turned both his, and the Australian Team’s fortunes around and retired as one of Australia’s greats, and as already stated, passed a successful team on to Mark Taylor, who in his turn, turned a successful team onto Stephen Waugh, who in his turn turned the Team over to Ricky Ponting, equally as successful as any of the previous two Teams. Nothing breeds like success! However success never lasts without hard work and strong leadership, working with what you have before you at that time.

My point here that it is hard and even pointless to compare a Captain who inherited a successful team against any who came before him, let alone against those who made successes of unsuccessful teams. Each has to be assessed on what they did with what they had to work with.

It is the same for us. We can’t really bask in someone else’s hard work, nor can we blame the failures of those who preceded us. We have to deal with what we have. Make the most of what life deals out to us. And then be assessed on how we responded to our challenges. Sure we can blame our circumstances and environment to some degree, but at some point all of us must take responsibility for what we have done with what we got. It doesn't matter how little recognition we recieve. Or how poorly we feel we have been treated. Always react with your best. Not excuses, just your best.

How are you reacting to your present situation? Reacting against all the adverse challenges? Basking in someone else’s successes? Or doing your best with what you have been given to work with, without comparing yourself to anyone else but your very own best.

In all that you do, don’t ask if this is better than anyone else but ask yourself, if this is really the best you can do? If so take solace in that.

If not buckle down, throw away the excuses and give your best in all things: Walter