"A good leader should not guide his/her followers, but should inspire them". Do you agree?

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Both guidance and examplary character is needed. My spiritual leader is Lord Buddha. One of his qualities was he says as does and he does as he says. Also look at our parents. They does the same. That is how they create an imoact on us.

That is true. A leader should live up to his words. If he tells his team something but he does something else, his followers will be confused and they will loose respect to their leader. And also some will take those bad habits of the leader as examples and act accordingly. His team will question his command because they obviously see that his orders are only for the team but not for he, himself. So it is of utmost importance to do as he says and say what he does for a leader.

[Victor Jerry I]

I highly disagree because to be a good leader, one must humble himself first and be an example to his followers and guide and inspire them just as Jesus guided his disciples. In summary, a good leader must be a good follower to people he is leading by listening to them when need be and not just bossing around.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think the two are not mutually exclusive. One can guide, but still inspire. A leader would not be very good if they did not guide their followers. That being said, anyone can instill inspiration in a group setting. Not just a leader. So I say, inspire wherever you can. Guide your followers if your responsibility is leading.

What a nice saying. Very correct. You do not have to be a leader to inspire anyone. Your actions will inspire others even if you are an ordinary member of a group. But as a member it is not up to you to guide others, but to work together.

A leader too can inspire his team mates, but it is his duty to guide them and he must do that to be a good leader as well as to achieve the intended goals.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I agree because even looking at our expert leader, Jesus, whose Word is life, we can see this lesson lived out. Jesus is not merely an itinerant preacher who directs our steps. He is a soul-stirrer who invites us to walk with Him. If our master, Jesus, leads us by walking with us and stirring us to discover, then these earthly leaders must learn to come alongside and help others discover their own best answers."

Leader is one of the member of the group, though he is having some additional responsibilities as he is the leader. So, yes, he has to go along and work along with the group, and Jesus has shown that making he himself the perfect example.

But did Jesus never guide his followers but only inspired them? I don't think so.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I think inspiration and guidance go hand in hand. As important as it is for a leader to be a source of inspiration to his/her followers, without the leader's guidance, the followers can still potentially lose their way. It's like embarking on a journey to a place you've never been before without a map.

Quite true. The leader has to be the guidance to his team. It is possible that the leader too has not done the intended task earlier, yet he has his plans (the map for the journey) and he will guide his followers through that till they reach their goal.

But the path won't be easy, and the team mates need something to hold on to till they finish their journey. And that is where inspiration has to do its magic to keep the team spirit up, and that is also up to the leader.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Actually, this is two fold. The leader should inspire his followers by way of acting wisely and taking decisions that will inspire the followers. At the same time, the proactive leader should know the strength and weaknesses of each of his subordinates. Further to that, he should know the capability of his subordinates as not everyone do posses the same skill level, enthusiasm and will power to perform a particular task. So, if one does not know how to perform a particular task, the leader must guide him the right way. He can inspire the people who is really motivated, but need to guide the average person.

Well said. A leader's strong and correct decisions will inspire his team and it will gain him respect from the team. When a team knows that their leader is confident, it is the best inspiration for them to hold on through whatever the hardships.

At the same time the leader has to identify the weak and average members of the team, and help them to do their tasks and be in the team. Otherwise they will feel neglected and ultimately the team (and the leader) will loose them.

[Kaitlin Licato]

I think both are true. A leader should be able to guide his/her followers. A great leader should be able to inspire them as well. There are many good leaders who simply guide their followers. It is not necessary to inspire to be a good leader, only a great one.

[Marie Blackwell]

I believe that a leader should walk in the place that better benefits his subordinates. If he must be the muscle of the line to help them pull the cord them he must do so, but if it the situation calls for him to walk in front of them to clear the path that will allow them to make their way, then he must do so. A true leader will do his best to adapt himself to the circumntances that will make a positive impact onto those under his responsibility, whereas his role will be as a guide, an inspiration or the driven force behind his team.

[nina soledad]

I find it important for a leader to be inspiring in order for me to respect, follow, and support him or her. However, depending on the situation, I believe that there are times when leaders need to provide guidance to their people. This could happen when followers do not have the knowledge or experience to face a particular situation. For me, good leadership depends on both - providing guidance and inpiration to followers.

[Nirali Kothari]

I do agree that a leader needs to inspire but I think at times it may be important for a leader to guide his/her followers as well especially if they seem to be going astray or are perhaps unable to cope up.

[Ondijo Junior]

I defer with you here, a good lead should lead by example he should be on the forefront so that others can learn from them, the author neatly brought up this in the book.

[Surwade]

I agree , but a good leader also have to help their follower which sound same as guiding and if its about inspiration then most of people follows someone becoz they give them an reason to love them to listen to them and in my site this is also a type of inspiration .

[Sushan Ekanayake]

A true leader inspires, encourages and at times becomes hope in times of despair. It's my opinion a true leader isn't afraid to lead, he/she is selected by the group to lead them on the correct path. Jesus walked the path of truth with his followers alongside, they were not forced to believe what he said but to see for themselves. A leader works hard and leads the group. And also teaches them the way to do the things. Their task is to reach the goal and see that everyone comes along.

Definitely. A group's achievements cannot be taken as complete if all the group members could not make it to the end. People will give up what they do for various reasons, and lack of inspiration will be one reason for that. So a good leader's task is to inspire his team mates at least from time to time while leading and guiding them to ensure that all the team mates are held together.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

No, I don't angry with this topic. A leader leads to guide the followers. In his/her guidance, lies the survival of his/her followers. Hence, any follower who disobeys his/her leader is looking for a new destruction. Not every follower will be needed to be inspired by the leader, but every follower must obey the guidance of their leader.

What you say is 100% accurate when it is related to military. A leader has to guide each and every member specifically in order to accomplish a mission.

But when it comes to other common group activities, there can be team mates who have some knowledge regarding the task. If a leader tries to guide their each and every action and make them obey him, then such fellows will feel frustrated. So it is up to the leader to understand the level of guidance that each and every member need.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

Well, I think that both terms go hand in hand. Good leaders lead by example - that's a form of guidance I believe. At the same time, exemplary leadership more often than not inspire followers to do better.
That good leaders should inspire rather than guide here might refer to the act of trying to force a change rather than inspiring a change

Most of the times a leader's example will be embraced by his followers and they will adopt accordingly. So like that inspiration works at times. But some followers who are too adamant to accept a change has to be moulded by other means, and if necessary by force. At such times a leader can be seen as a dictator, but such behaviour is needed occasionally for the sake of the team and team work.