The foremost horse in a team

By Klaus Döring

Are you a guide, a commander, or a conductor? Are you a leader who knows how to play the first card in the team? Do you know how to direct, persuade, or precede?

The foremost horse in a team, often called the forehorse or leader, is positioned at the front to guide and pull, setting the pace for the team. Leaders must be intelligent and responsive, while the rearmost horses, or “wheelers,” are responsible for steering, slowing, and stopping. These lead horses are vital for directing the team in agricultural work or driving.

I found a very nice quotation shared by Dr. John C. Maxwell, the leading authority on leadership, who says, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way!” “Nearly all men can withstand adversity. If you truly want to test a man’s character, give him power,” Abraham Lincoln already stressed. Character is what you are doing in the dark. By the way, nowadays, I wouldn’t mention only “men” when it comes to leadership. There are innumerable women holding their own.

Remember and look around: In the past and at present, one can observe someone at any corner offering to lead our way. Politicians compete for our vote of confidence. Athletes and entertainers show us their pictures of success. A lot of different religious leaders pledge, promise, and bind in flock gatherings.

Well, what are some of the traits that a great leader must have or develop? Is character really enough? How about integrity? Are you, my dear reader, a leader? Are what you are saying AND DOING the same? Are your followers wholeheartedly convinced of your integrity?

Albert Einstein, one of my favorite idols, said, “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with the important matters!”

Leaders in politics, leaders in clergy, leaders in business — many have been lacking this specific trait in the past because, after all, what they said is not what they did. A leader is someone with character, integrity, discipline, and the ability to influence others in a positive way. A leader must be able to motivate his or her people rather than manipulate them or run away in times of difficult decisions!

Albert Einstein claimed that he had no special abilities, only persistence. But that was enough to develop the general relativity theory. I learned from my Philippine mentor and book author (“German-Philippine Relations”), the late Monsignor Professor Dr. Hermogenes E. Bacareza, already during the 1980s: “It’s important to become your own best friend. Be your own coach. Talk to your inner self as if you were talking to another person you care deeply about. And, pray!”

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Comments, suggestions, questions?

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