By: Brigadier Mohammad Yasin (Retired)
“Leading in the Twenty-First Century, is indeed, more complex than it was in the past. Leadership has seldom been easy, but today the challenge is of collaborating with a more educated, more entitled, more savvy population that has greater expectations of satisfaction and rewards than in the past generations. Uncommon leaders stand out because they can juggle seemingly contradictory traits to lead such people. They balance paradoxes that make them worth following.,”
The above extract has been taken from Tim Elmore’s book, ‘The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership’, which is under review. The author lists and analyses eight paradoxes that are practiced and leveraged by today’s successful leaders whom he calls ‘Uncommon’ Leaders. He reinforces his arguments by narrating the styles and working of history’s successful leaders, who managed these paradoxes and were able to rally their followers. He, in detail, reflects on the eight paradoxes which, he says, are common but essential for leading today’s workforce. Embodying these enable them to standout as extraordinary leaders.
Given below is a summary (and my comments) of his eight paradoxes, but first - what is a paradox?
Simply stated, a paradox is a statement that contains two contradictory components. Individually they are true, but the two may not be true at the same time.
Paradox 1. Uncommon Leaders Balance Both Confidence and Humility
It is a fact that people usually follow the confident leaders. Confidence is borne out of leaders’ character and competence. Followers lose faith in non-confident leaders. Confidence flows from inside out. It is contagious. The author says: “the passion of confident leaders becomes viral. They pass on the sense of security to their teams”. However, leaders must be aware of the dangers of being overconfident. At the height of success, leaders’ ego can prevail making them arrogant. That’s when their downfall begins. In changing times, confidence by itself will not sustain leaders’ ability to motivate their followers. Followers want their leaders to be confident but humble. The author quotes these excerpts from Jim Collin’s book, Good to Great. “We were surprised,shocked really, to discover the type of leadership required for turning good company to a great one. Compared to high-profile leaders with big personalities who make headlines and become celebrities; they were leaders with surprising sense of deep personal humility and intense professional will”
Comment: Humbleness should not be misunderstood. Being humble does not mean being weak, reticent, or self-effacing. Dr Covey says: “it means recognizing a principle and putting it ahead of self. A humble person is more concerned about what is right than about being right”.
On the paradox of balancing confidence and humility, Jim Collins describes such leaders as “having deep personal humility but intense professional will”.
Aristotle, more than two thousand years ago, said: “If a man [leader] is to win acceptance of his ideas, he must be respected as a man of character and moral worth [integrity] by his followers.”
Paradox 2. Uncommon Leaders Leverage Both Their Vision and Their Blind Spots
Vision gives leaders (and teams) a direction, but blind spots are often very motivating that enables them to approach the idea in an unconventional way—and believe that they can pull it off. Most new ventures require leaders to have a clear target they want to hit. At the same time, their ability to see all the obstacles and challenges ahead of time to help maintain their energy as they try to hit their target. In short, leaders usually must see something and fail to see something to reach their goal.
The author defines the blind spots as “an unrecognized weakness or threat that has the potential to harm not only the leaders but also their organizations”.
To achieve a goal or a target, keep looking into the future. Consistently, mediate between self-doubt and self-confidence. People engage at their highest capacity with high stakes, a clear vision, and some blind spot along the way to success.
Comment: To add to the above argument, it may be pertinent to quote Murphy’s laws, which state that i), nothing is as easy as it appears; ii), everything takes longer than you think it will; and iii), anything that can go wrong will go wrong. It is said that visionary leaders are more proactive, creative, and innovative. To clear obstacles, they boldly take risks, bur generally they are weak when it comes to realizing their dreams. This is because they fail to plan to clear the blind spots. This strengthens the authors reasoning that uncommon leaders leverage both their vision and blind spots.
Paradox 3. Uncommon Leaders Embrace Both Visibility and Invisibility
In the beginning of any mission/goal, the followers want to know what this mission/goal is. They also need guidelines to proceed to achieve the mission. As the time goes by, the followers want the leader to step aside and let them use their own intelligence and let them work to achieve the
targets. ‘Uncommon’ leaders create awareness of what to do and then get out of the way to let their followers realize their potential.
The author quotes John C. Maxwell who says: “In the early stages of your leadership, people need you to be visible. Most human beings are ‘settlers’ who need ‘pioneers’ to go first. They need someone who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way to others.”
Leadership operates on the basis of trust; it stems from the moral authority; and its gauge is the followers (Elmore calls it the mirror effect).
Thus, uncommon leaders embrace the paradox of both visibility and invisibility.
Comment: Even some good leaders tend to remain visible when they create awareness among the followers on how to go about achieving the mission and the risks involved. The main reason is that they lack “propensity to trust” their followers and want to share the credit of success. In due course, such leaders start with their downfall.
Paradox 4. Uncommon Leaders Are Both Stubborn and Open-Minded
Before setting a goal, leaders must visualize the obstacles that will hinder their progress. Once a goal is set, the leader must be strong-willed to reach the goal. Without a stubborn will, obstacles will stop him/her. At the same time, leaders must not be so consumed with the opinion that it is not only correct, but also cannot be another’s opinion. They must not be obstinate to stick to their views. Wise leaders always welcome criticism and opinion of the followers. They should have the tendency to be challenged. Their actions must be open for scrutiny and discussion. Uncommon leaders must possess both emotional security and strong will.
Paradox 5. Uncommon Leaders are Both Deeply Personal and Inherently Collective
The author explains that people expect more from a leader today, especially during the times of hardship. People need a leader, who speaks for them, feels with them, and offers a wise response in that context. People need a big picture of vision from their leader, who can grasp the gravity of what has happened, and what steps are required to respond to it. At the same time, people need a leader who empathizes with their personal journey, someone who understands how the struggle feels to individuals, and who articulates the vision with a personal touch. He adds that wise leaders seemed to understand their people and offered them three gifts: context to problems, applications (practical action steps), and belief (hope for a better future).
The author further adds that uncommon leaders find a way to tailor roles and tasks for individuals, while at the same time keeping that larger picture in mind and ensuring each person’s talents are leveraged for the “whole”. These leaders somehow balance a “telescope and microscope”.
Comment: In my opinion, there is nothing personal for great leaders. It is always the collective approach for the destination, personal sacrifice for the good of the followers, and the saying “united we stand, divided we fall”.
Paradox 6. Uncommon Leaders are Both Teachers and Learners
Times have changed and this change is unending. It goes on. Leaders have to keep themselves up to date. They have to be upfront. Therefore, leaders are forced to be learners and teachers. To do this, leaders must adapt themselves with the change and never rest on what they already know. Leaders are both receptacles of information and libraries of information. The author says that the prerequisite of remaining a learner while you are a teacher is emotional security. If you are an insecure leader, you will soon be defending your past ideas; you will feel threatened and even displaced if someone has a better solution than yours.
Elmore quote Alvin Toffler, who said: “The illiterates of the future will not be those, who cannot read or write. The illiterates of the future will be those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”. The question for us is, ‘what we have learned that we need to unlearn’?
Comment: You learn when you teach. In this context, the following Arabic sayings hold so true:
· Acquire knowledge from cradle till grave.
· Acquire knowledge even if you have to go to China (in those days it was very difficult to travel to China).
· You cannot acquire knowledge without being in the company of a teacher and an extended time.
To quote Gandhi, who said: “live as if you will die tomorrow and learn as if you will live forever”.
Paradox 7. Uncommon Leaders Model Both High Standards and Gracious Forgiveness
“Average, for such leaders is their starting point, not the end of their endeavour. Their standards are high. Their yardstick is quality and excellence. They care less about being liked and more about being respected. They are in productivity contest not in popularity contest. They are passionate because the stakes are high”.
The author further argues that the paradox of these uncommon leaders is their propensity to forgive people. It’s not that they lower their standards. It’s simply that they are able to absolve a team member, who acknowledges that he/she failed to meet the standard and chooses to improve. Forgiveness is not approving what happened, it’s choosing to rise above. Forgiveness does not remove the past, but it does expand the future. When team members know that their leader holds high standards, yet is willing to forgive mistakes, it frees them to push themselves, take appropriate risks, and initiate when they might normally hold back and play it safe.
Comment: Standards set by the leader must be realistic and commensurate with knowledge, and skill of the team, and the resources available to achieve the mission. Setting too high standards, being a perfectionist and having overambitious expectations can do more harm than good.
Paradox 8. Uncommon Leaders are Both Timely and Timeless
To keep pace with the changing times, uncommon leaders must balance this paradox. They must embrace and advance timeless principles that make for lasting success, values that have stood the test of times, and worked in all generations and in every context. At the same time, these leaders must leverage culturally relevant methods and futuristic resources. The author continues to explain that leaders are at a greater risk of losing either the ability to be “timely “and “timeless” than in the past eras. Why? First, because everyone is in a race towards new innovations to stay ahead of the pack; second, because technology enables us to change rapidly. Our smart technology advances so quickly that it outpaces our ability to civilize it. The faster we move, the more important it is to remember our values which are timeless. Uncommon leaders are passionate to pursue future opportunities, but in their appetite for progress, they never leave behind core values, virtues, and disciples (which are timeless).
Comments: Very well said.
A New Kind of Leader
This is the concluding chapter of the book. It summarizes the qualities required of the present-day leadership. He says: “leadership has drastically evolved over the years. As we proceed into the third decade of the Twenty-First Century, I see a new kind of leader on the horizon. It is a leader who is in touch with the post-modern world in which we live. This leader combines many of the past strengths and those required for the present and the future. He or she is secure enough to build relationship with their teams and drive the process towards getting the desired results”.
He calls this type of leader, “a Poet and a Gardener”. Such leaders possess the following characteristics:
· They are highly rational.
· They interpret culture well.
· They are emotionally secure.
· They share ownership freely.
· They empower others.
· They are comfortable with uncertainty.
· They listen and foster self-discovery.
· They embrace the role of a mentor.
· They are less formal in structure.
· They are driven by service rather than ego.
Such leaders are very aware and read situations before they lead them. As a result, they practice paradoxical leadership as a norm. They are not sages on the stage, but guides on the side.
My Concluding Views of the Book
The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership has been a good reading experience, as it unpacks new strategies for the present and future leadership. It is indeed a practical workbook for leaders who want to create a lasting impact on their followers. The book is based on the author’s own experiences, and extensively covers the lives and work of some great leaders, who balanced or leveraged these paradoxes. It is an enjoyable and absorbing book, which must be read by leaders and managers.
(The writer is a Senior Advisor Emeritus at Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad, Pakistan and can be reached at yasin@sdpi.org)
© 2026 SDPI. All Rights Reserved Design & Developed by NKMIS WEB Unit
