Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of May 27th
Re-Cognition
There really is nothing new about the art of leadership. How can that be, you may be asking yourself, for surely today’s technology and scientific advancements must be changing the nature of leadership? I don’t think so. When it comes to primal leadership–that most basic but mysterious art of creating deep human resonance and influence—I am convinced of this fact: all the foundational truths are already known. What happens unfortunately is these primal truths can sometimes become lost to us. It as if these leadership truths become dormant, pushed underground just out of view, awaiting a wise cultivator to bring them back to vitality. This is the role now, as it always has been, of heroic leaders—to see leadership truths laying there in plain sight and then reawaken them. But awaken them not in some past or romanticized context, but rather, in synch with today’s reality. Thus, all great leadership cognition, in my view, is really re-cognition. Recognition allows us to remember what we’ve always known, but somehow, forgotten, and then rekindle that necessary truth in today’s context.
An Interior Life
At the heart of truly great leadership is a leader who has cultivated a rich interior life. This inner authority, born of self mastery, self discipline, self-regulation, and self-control, is the most crucial ingredient to creating lasting significance as a leader. This is why, when developing leaders, we must start with, and never lose focus of, whom leaders are. Too often, unfortunately, we start with what leaders do, and we omit the much harder work of cultivating self mastery and inner authority. Why do we do this? Because it is much easier to focus on what (other) leaders do rather than focusing on ourselves—which requires brutal honesty about our lives, our paradigms, our motives, and our character. To be great leaders, we must begin with mastering ourselves, and developing an interior life capable of exerting resonant, positive, vibrant, focused, and elevating leadership. Let me conclude with a timeless truth we should never forget: Only leaders with inner authority can use outer authority effectively.
What Needs to be Done?
Sometimes the hardest step in one’s leadership journey is the first one. Where do I start? Where do I focus? I think a great place to start is to ask this question: “What needs to be done?” In my view, this simple question forces one to seek an honest and authentic answer, and then….move into action. Moreover, there are two equally important dimensions to this question, one internal and one external. First, what needs to be done to me (internally)? What do I need to do to prepare myself to be a leader? How do I condition myself to see the world as a leader and commit to a life of leadership action? Second, what needs to be done in the (external) group, community, or society I live and work in? How can I best serve the group and bring my passion to something noble? Once a decision is made to act, momentum is born and one’s purpose is found. And when we find an authentic answer to this simple question, we align ourselves to our true calling—and begin a life of leadership, meaning, and service.
Make This Moment Better
When I contemplate a normal work day, I realize it is really made up by a series of moments, some of which are planned, many of them unplanned. Though our goal as leaders is to master ourselves and thus, master the day, in truth what we are really doing, if we lead effectively, is to make each moment better. The moment is what we are given; what we do with it, makes all the difference. Whatever leadership moment arises, inherent in that moment is this crucial test: What will be the nature and quality of our response? As I reflect on any facet of truly great leadership–in sports, industry, politics, family, community—at the center of great leadership outcomes is a mindful leader focused on making this moment better. This truth is important to embrace because the reality is….most of us will not lead on a global or national stage. Instead, we will be called to lead far from the bright lights and great arenas. Our significance will be tested, and made, in the consistency and quality of our responses, to the smallest of things. And our obligation? To take each moment and make it better.
Escaping the Cacophony
I saw a cartoon the other day in which the main character was in a room, surrounded by hundreds of simultaneously ringing alarm clocks and whistles, as this poor soul tried to concentrate but could only wilt under the maddening cacophony of irritating sounds and distractions. In some ways, this image could well represent the modern office setting with its non-stop bombardment of texts, emails, tweets, “likes,” phone calls, and myriad other interruptions. This is just the way it is, you say? Well, for leaders, is shouldn’t be, because we know from experience that constant interruption and mindless busyness are the enemies of masterful leadership. Peak leadership emerges from cultivating quiet time; finding places of solitude to detach from busyness, read and think deeply, and summon deeper knowing. Great leaders must find time for sustained concentration, which allows for focused attention, to truly breakout of, and through, the mindless cacophony of busyness and into the rarer air of deep knowing and wise action.
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