Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of July 7th
Vitality
For youth today there is a growing tendency to devote large portions of the day tethered to electronic gadgets, which among other things, means less time doing physical things like play, sports, camping, hiking, etc. The question is, from a leadership and life paradigm standpoint, does this matter? I prefer to avoid dramatic predictions of doom and gloom as I believe things are never as good or bad as we initially believe them to be (remember the prediction that TV was going to destroy us?). However, I think classic wisdom has something to offer here. When I think of great leaders past, I am hard pressed to find one who did not possess vigor and vitality. I don’t mean they were all athletes, I mean they all had a positive energy, a tangible physical dynamism, even if bound to a wheel chair like Roosevelt. And I believe those attributes—being hardy, resolute, resilient, mentally tough, optimistic, enthusiastic–were born of a vigorous disposition and a rigorous life. Vitality, I believe, comes from rigor and exertion, not from being sedentary. So…how can we reawaken vigor in our modern society so we produce vital leaders?
Master Your Space
I am often asked, “If I am not a senior leader in my organization, what can I really do to make a difference?” The answer I always give is, master your space! We often mistakenly think of leadership as something we will do “some day” when we have achieved enough rank or authority. This faulty concept violates a foundational truth of leadership, which is this: We are always leading. Consider this reality: The moment one engages with other people, one is creating influence, and influence is leadership. If we understand leadership this way then we will rightly place accountability upon ourselves to act like, and see the world as, leaders. No matter how large or small our position, rank, or scope of responsibilities, the space we influence is a world needing positive leadership. Therefore, it is a leader’s ultimate responsibility to master that space, create a positive atmosphere and healthy culture, and cultivate meaning and purpose. Wherever you land, master your space.
Climbing Down the Ladder
Early in our leadership development we are all naturally involved with climbing up the career ladder. The first half of life is involved with defining ourselves, doing things, and mostly, getting things. This is the time I call “B&B”—badges and bravado—when we seek promotions, awards, certifications, and qualifications. But about midway through life, we reach a vital threshold where, once we reach the top of the ladder, we start to ask ourselves— is this all there is? We start to see all the “B&B” is not only unsatisfying, but more worrisome, this early ego identity we’ve built for ourselves as leaders can become a quicksand in the second stage of life if we don’t change. Think of it: Have you ever seen an older person, well into their 50s and 60s, who is still prisoner to their ego? This is a person who has reached the top of the ladder and refused to change. Wise leaders, conversely, begin to climb down the ladder, convert their gaze from themselves to others, and strive to give away their wisdom. Great leaders do their best work coming down the ladder and giving away the best of themselves.
The Path
Like all forms of master craft, leadership is a life-long journey. As in Odysseus’ unyielding quest to reach his home in Ithaca, heroic leaders are likewise constantly journeying home, with home understood to be self mastery. We will always find ourselves back on the path, moving again towards some higher plane of knowledge and growth. In this way, the journey’s path is our necessary crucible. And understood correctly, the life-long path we take as leaders becomes the handmaiden of our destiny. Walking the leader’s path, therefore, is not really something we do; it is something that is being done to us. The leader’s path isn’t something we do, it is something we endure. And in enduring the path, we come out different. If we stay true to heroic ambition and the leader’s path, we gradually move from the circumference of life to the center…the place of meaning, purpose, conviction, and yes…wisdom. And, like Odysseus, we find that though Ithaca may have been our destination, the journey was our real destiny. It is the crucible—the path–that makes us and shapes us, if we let it.
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