The effectivity of leadership and Nicolló Machiavelli

I was astonished to have found out, not only was I accepted to one of my positions of interest, but, as a matter of fact, to most of them. Before I could cope with the unforeseen contingency, I found myself in the shoes of a Residents Association chairman, a community committee representative and even in the student senate. It has been some time since I was elected, and up until now, I have never doubted the excellence of my leadership – perhaps due to the consistency and recognition of my endeavor.

I have always focused on the pragmatic aspects of my work – mostly done on spontaneous and intuitive ad hoc basis, which has perhaps clouded my otherwise insightful and investigative judgement to an extent that I have not – even for a second, considered the functional processes of my leadership and its implications. I am aware, that what I intend to say might sound like an incoherent gibberish of a young fool you would find in a passage of a quasi-managerial book purchased from an airport bookshop. Regardless, as I have found out during my studies, even the most bizarre, fad-like and anecdotal theories – such Clay Christensen’s Disruption theory, hold some truth and sense in their art of rambling rhetoric.
    
An involvement with the students’ union entails a lengthy induction and training, intending to fit the candidate to their respective role. I still remember the pseudo-utopian doctrine drilled into my head: you are leading a family, not a business; everyone is equal; university is a safe space – in other words, you must cater to everyone and anyone. At first, I was skeptical, but naturally I got used to it. From the side of my RA committee, the interest died down within a couple weeks once everyone realized that RA is neither a free ticket for a better resume nor an authority over a massive budget. Meetings became bothersome. Interest completely vanished. What next? The most rational course of action would be to wave your imaginary chairman red car, implying that absence ought to not be ignored. Well, rational to an extent until you receive an email from the SU executives – an indirect warning or so to say, conveying that your actions go against the concept of safe space. What next then? I settled on a daunting answer. As of now, there is probably no resolution under the current agenda, system, doctrine or whatever you want to call it. I am pleased to have realized, I am not alone as my problems are not merely of my own mind, but rather vigilantly and tirelessly looming above our university, and perhaps beyond.

Under normal circumstances, I would usually disregard the problem, leaving it behind to its own fate. However, as a scholar of management, I cannot and will not stay idle. It is my intention, during the next 4 years at the University of Management, to change it internally for the better. A couple weeks ago I was intrigued by the work of Niccoló Machiavelli – Il Principe. Despite its controversial nature, since then it has found a place in my heart. One of its main tenets is that a good leader not only ought to be merciful but also strict and heartless. The effectivity of leadership is based upon effective rules and not over-exaggerated optimism and sentimentalism. The students’ union is full of flaws and weaknesses. I believe that the concept of safe space has been taken out of context and near-ubiquitously enforced, furthermore, a university should be about new ideas and challenges – place where uncomfortable contingencies should not only be inevitable but sought after. I know, an initiative on such a scale will not be easy, however, I have always anticipated the inevitable since my personal bubble has been abandoned a very long time ago.