The Conviction of a True Leader

Conviction is often defined as a threshold level beyond which one feels a high level of confidence about what one truly believes should be done. I think the best leaders have very high emotional intelligence (EQ) and greatly respect the feeling of being unsure. They are very humble AND confident. Subsequently, humbleness provides a runway to keep gathering information, agonizing, and assessing until an acceptable threshold level of confidence is reached, i.e. conviction. 

At the same time, impact leaders have the uncanny ability to know when enough is enough. They are smart enough to know that analysis paralysis is not an option. Timing also plays an important role in getting to conviction. 

I think there is danger in getting to premature or false conviction. This often happens because leaders rely on authoritative leadership

Once a leader discovers his personal gifting and leadership, it ignites conviction in his heart. In the process of leadership development, conviction has a twofold connotation. The first sense of the word is the certainty that you have something essential to contribute to humanity. It is a 100 – percent dedication to your purpose, which is stronger than any opposition you might encounter. As a leader, you must be convinced that you exist for a worthy reason and that you are able to accomplish what you were born to do.

The second sense of the word refers to conviction (plural), or deep held belief on a commitment to one’s purpose. Conviction gives you a sense of direction in life. They guide your activities and give them meaning. Your conviction is instrument to your characters development. They lead you to become dedicated to specific principles, or a code of ethics by which you pledge to live as you carry out your purpose.

An individual can have the other qualities of leadership, such as influence or passion, without having conviction. But true leader manifest each of the qualities - and in ingredient we are sorely missing among leaders today is personal convictions. Having Convictions is what enable a person to remain stable and trustworthy, even in the midst of difficulties or temptations.

Frankly, if you don’t have solid convictions, you don’t deserve to have followers. If you keep vacillating in order to please people, if you keep sacrificing your belief system in order to be Accepted, you are not a leader you are a compromise. We need leaders who are willing to stand up to the disapproval of their own friend, and the public at large for the sake of something that is noble and true. Today, it is hard to find leaders who have such commitment to their convictions. To be a true and a great leader you must have a strong conviction that you will stand on it and your followers will also follow you because of that conviction.