lead, follow, or ... lead
I have been doing a lot of reading and thinking lately about leadership, and about what that looks like when it is done well.
The title of this post is sort of a joke (albeit maybe not a funny one) - the phrase actually goes something like, "lead, follow, or get out of the way." But getting out of the way doesn't seem like an option to me. So the choice is really between leading or following, since following is basically getting out of the way of those who have the guts to take the lead.
This morning, I read the following words, written by Nancy Ortberg, and I like 'em. A lot.
When people are led well, not only do they accomplish great things, but they become better people in the process.
Work is a sacred trust and there are a few things you can do to treat it as such in your role as a leader:
1. Yourself. I first heard the concept of “self-leadership” when I was on staff at a church. Here’s the main idea: You are responsible for carving out a life that has a rhythm that renews you. It is not anybody else’s job. As a leader you take responsibility for your own self-renewal which includes things like reading, planning alone time to do thinking and processing, and maintaining a schedule that allows you to keep your promises, which is one of the key jobs of a leader. Self-leadership will not only increase your leadership capacity and skills but will also work to prevent burnout.
2. Others. Leadership is the promise of development. People need three things to grow: opportunities, challenges, and relationship. It is your job as a leader to be sure, over time, that your people are getting all three. They need opportunities to use their abilities to make a difference, challenges that stretch them without breaking them, and relationships in which they are known and celebrated and told the truth about themselves.
3. The Organization. Organizations—not just individual people—are important. Organizations, as a collection of people, allow us to accomplish things we could not do on our own. As a leader it is your responsibility to make sure that meetings are compelling, that they are places where collaborative (not consensus, which Patrick Lencioni defines as “mutually agreed upon mediocrity”) decisions are processed and made, a place where goals are set and people are held accountable for those, where short-term and long-term gains are celebrated and lack of success is autopsied and learned from.
Leadership is a sacred trust.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home