Members vs. leader
The question of which is better, being a member or the leader of a group, is a complex and controversial issue. Some people think that they would rather be members of a group than the leader of it, while others maintain an opposite view. As far as I am concerned the latter view carries more weight. Leadership is a difficult issue and requires lots of personal skills. I will try to express my position more clearly.
On one hand, leadership is a challenging and demanding task. Being a leader, you will not only be in the position of taking initiatives, but also have to develop plans and make decisions. Furthermore, it is up to you to carry out the group goals and plans and listen to suggestions from the group members. As a consequence, the group leader needs to spend a lot of time and energy on group affairs than the group members. Only in this way can the group achieve its every goal.
On the other hand, being a member of the group is obviously less challenging and less demanding. A lot of people are qualified and available as being group members; therefore you can find a replacement for most group members easily. Whereas the leader is much harder to replace: since his role is of more importance, and fewer people are well qualified for this position. For example, a few years ago, Margareta Ley, the owner and director of ESCADA, a famous cosmetics company died. Even today there is still a big hole in the company account due to the decreasing sales volume resulted from her absence. No one in the company was capable enough to fill her position.
From the point of view of a successful group, it is very important that every group member is cooperative and knows how to work as a team. One of the most important tasks of the group leader is to facilitate communications and cooperation among the group members.
To conclude, being a leader of a group is much more challenging and rewarding than being a member. Having a good leader is of vital importance for the group. One bad member may not make any change at all to the group, whereas a bad leader would ruin a group’s success.
