Leadership

It depends on how well the group members know each other whether a leader needs to be appointed. If everyone knows each other than the members usually know pretty well who is an authority on which subject.

When, however, a group consists of virtual strangers then things are quite different. Often the extrovert show-off will try to claim leadership. As a group people should oppose such forced on leadership. A real leader will make himself known by his (or her!) actions, ideas and initiatives. A leader will think of the needs of all the members of the group, respects other people's input, will ask advice from more knowledgeable people and will take well-considered decisions in the interest of the whole group.

It's important that a leader is actively chosen or appointed or publicly accepted by the whole group. That way there can be no doubt over the legitimacy of the leader. Consequently, the group members must accept that the leader is not infallible and should restrain from abandoning the leader at the first sign of adversity. They should remember that the burden of leadership is a great load to bear and that his decisions can have far-reaching consequences. A leader under stress from his group is more likely to try to keep the peace and give in to dissentient voices instead of implementing tough but necessary measures.


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