题目：“People are likely to accept as a leader only someone who has demonstrated an ability to perform the same tasks that he or she expects others to perform.”
In the first place, we have to admit that it is necessary for a leader to master adequate knowledge of the field that he or she leads. Only by showing enough proficiency can a leader gain from the subordinates respect and trust, which serve as the catalyst in the improvement of work performance. On one hand, a leader can make the working plan systematically and assign specific tasks to the subordinates properly in according to the knowledge of the working field. On the other hand, a skilled leader can provide correct and professional guidance or direction to the subordinates so that they can perform the task more effectively and productively. I can think of no better illustration than the example that a sales manager may fail to lead the sales division in a company if he or she knows little about marketing.
However, it is not to say that a leader must have the ability to perform every task that he or she require of others. After all, a leader should focus more attention on how to well organize the team as a whole to achieve the collective goal efficiently than how to finish the task by himself. The most indispensable role a leader plays is to balance the different interest among subordinates and stimulate their potential to exert creativity to the largest extent. This can by aptly exemplified and illustrated by the case that a high school principal may master one of the several subjects, but he is not the one who is proficient in every subject, ranging from math, chemistry to physics. Yet lacking the knowledge of every subjects does not undermine his performance as a principal for the reason that he does a good job in raising funds, attracting excellent teachers and improving teaching facilities.
Moreover, it is almost impossible for a leader to command knowledge of every aspect because a leader spends most of the time in organizing the group rather than in learning knowledge. To assess a leader’s performance, we should lay emphasis on whether he can lead his subordinates to fulfill specific goals. Take Bill Gates, the CEO of the Microsoft for example. His inability to carry out a certain research of a new technology can never indicate that he is not a good leader. Moreover, with the rapid development of science and technology, to expect a leader to be professional in every field is unfair and out of reality.