Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of July 28th
Peak Experience
There’s been much commentary about the Millennial Generation’s work style, most suggesting the Millennials don’t value things like meaning, purpose, loyalty, and tradition. I think this is wrong. Every generation has a unique lens through which they view their world. For the Millennials their lens is technology. Moreover, youth, as a basic formative period in life, has always been characterized by a degree of immaturity, narcissism, being adrift, and wrestling with convention. Though Millennials have a technological lens shaping their paradigm, I do not believe that lens diminishes in them these timeless facts of all humans in all times: (1) We are “ultra social” creatures craving group identity and belonging; (2) Everyone yearns for something beyond themselves; (3) We want vocations providing deep meaning, purpose, and peak experiences; and (4) we all seek elevation above mediocrity and the daily grind. So let’s be honest: there has been no golden age or greatest generation. Each generation has had, as the Millenials do now, the capability to be great. Our obligation? Help them be ready.
Boomerang
Leadership, like classic virtue, is its own reward. When we lead honorably, attuned to noble purposes, the reward is inherent in the aspiration and the action. The reward is not given to us like a medal or trophy, rather, it is earned through fidelity to the vocation. And, in the end, the reward is done to us. I like to think of heroic leadership like a boomerang: What we originally release is the giving away of the best of ourselves, and in time, that leadership gift comes back to us in the form of gratitude, deep satisfaction, and the development of those we lead and mentor. The reward for having led well, and lived a life devoted to heroic ambition, is the soulful satisfaction of fidelity; faithfulness to a calling and faithfulness to a purpose beyond our self. But with this boomerang, we have to trust in the release…in the giving away of our best leadership and our best self. Because the return of the boomerang will not be immediate nor will it be on our terms. Leadership, like any master craft, will always defy instant gratification. So throw yourself into life and leading; give your best. The rest will take care of itself.
Growth
I read a very insightful quote recently, which said, “Problems aren’t solved, they are outgrown.” What I believe the author is referring to are inner problems; deficiencies of character, ego, pettiness, and small mindedness. In our youth, we are all servants of our egos. Much of our “lesser selves” emerge in the first half of life —anger, lack of self control, lack of empathy, mistrust, bitterness—all due to the inflation and protection of our egos. As we mature, and if we are courageous and develop the discipline to be reflective—to see ourselves as we truly are—we are given a chance to re-write our script. These inner problems in the first half of life can be out grown. We don’t so much solve these ego-centric problems; rather, we learn to recognize them, understand their root cause, and maturely outgrow their limiting and diminishing impact. This conversion must happen internally, and willingly, because inner conversion is borne of deep moral courage and a commitment to evolve as a person and as a leader. Some leaders never outgrow their problems. Great ones always do. This is the path to significance.
Obedience and Reverence
I’m reflecting on two terms that seem out of vogue in our modern world. The first is obedience. Classically, obedience was seen as a prized quality to be pursued in the service of a vocation or heroic ambition. Willing obedience reflects wisdom—in that we all need to have something eternal, timeless, and beyond ourselves to submit to. I learned the virtue of willing obedience in the Marine Corps; to be “always faithful” not because of a material gain, but because of the inherent value of fidelity. Reverence is another classic attribute worth remembering. To revere something—such as a truth, a maxim, a hero, or a model of excellence—is to align ourselves to a worthy ideal the pursuit of which teaches us humility and respect. What we revere, what we willingly bow down to, is the clearest reflection of who we are and what we stand for. Genuflecting is not very popular today; instead, we seem to prefer to bow to nothing except ourselves. As leaders, it’s healthy to relearn the value of healthy boundaries and the necessity of obedience and reverence to things greater than ourselves.
How to See
When I reflect on heroic leaders, past and present, I see in them a key distinguishing quality. Instead of focusing initially and primarily on “what to see” about leadership as many people do, they instead focus intently on “how to see.” This is a crucial difference. We must begin with “how to see” because this lens will define, and over time, refine our leadership paradigm. The lens through which we view life and leading is the single biggest determinant of leadership excellence. Why? Because our lens will refract and determine, for either good or ill, every decision and behavior. If we start with “what to see” about leadership, such as what do leaders do, then we neglect the biggest component of excellence, which is ourselves. We must master ourselves before we can exert positive influence over others. Self mastery and inner experience must come first. How to see as a leader, and how to see the world as a leader sees it, is the key ingredient to significant leadership. Focus first on how to see; then, what to see.
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