Callan…Coffee…Contemplation for the Week of November 10th
An Integrated Life
One of the critical flaws with modern leadership teaching is presenting leadership as a situational tactic, where one merely reaches into a hat to pick out a trick for the moment. What a wrong and diminished view of leading, as it turns leadership into a menu-driven tactic that can somehow be reduced to simple gimmicks. As we’ve so often reflected here, leadership is a way of life. Choosing to lead means we commit to attaining an integrated life, where who we are, how we live, and how we see, are fully aligned with how we lead. We may have many virtues and many qualities, but we should have one integrated life. As I say in many of my classes: Whom we see in the mirror when we look at ourselves should be the same person others see when they look at us. A truly authentic leader, one whom has gained self-mastery, self-awareness, and self-control, has integrity. An authentic leader is recognizable to self and to others as the same person….no schisms, no situational personas, no gimmicks. Leadership has no grab bags; leadership is a way of life.
One Stone at a Time
On a recent trip back home to Boston, I was reminded of the many stone walls adorning the area. These stone walls, though serving a functional purpose, are also great reflections of craftsmanship, built with great care, one stone at a time. And what a great metaphor for heroic leadership and team building, because leaders are much like master wall builders. First, we must master ourselves and our craft. The quality of the wall will be determined, in its purest sense, by the mastery of the wall builder. The same is true of leadership; our affect will be most determined by our inner mastery—the richness of our interior life and the integrity of our inner world. Moreover, to build a truly enduring wall, each stone must be placed precisely, with consideration to itself and the other stones around it. And so it is with developing other leaders and cultivating our groups: One student at a time; one lesson at a time; one year at a time; one generation at a time. Great walls are built one stone at a time until they emerge as great structures. Likewise, great teams are built one person at a time, until they emerge as unified champions.
Heroic Ambition
In our modern world, ambition often carries a negative connotation. Why? Because too often one’s ambition is aimed only at personal gain. However, there is a positive interpretation, what I call heroic ambition, that is a prized virtue and also necessary to reach peak achievement. By heroic ambition I mean elevating desire; a purposeful intention and passionate commitment to something greater than self, something true and right, and something uplifting. The magnitude of ambition is not the defining issue; it is the quality of ambition that is crucial. Heroic ambition forces us to move out of our heads and into our hearts, the source of all great transformation and vitality. Likewise, heroic ambition aligns us, and those we lead, with deep wellsprings of meaning and purpose. When we know the “why” in any endeavor, as the saying goes, we can withstand any what. Leaders, when anchored in heroic ambition, become beacons for those they lead. This is why there is really no greater question to ask oneself than this: To what do I devote my full measure?
Leadership Potential
Nature or nurture? This question arises constantly as people seek an answer to possibly the oldest and most vexing question about personal leadership: Are leaders born or made and can everyone be a great leader? The quaint and politically correct answer is yes, we are all born leaders and we can all be great. The truthful answer is no, not everyone is born to be a great leader. But here’s the important point: We all have leadership potential than can be cultivated and improved. In my view, whether or not we become “great” misses the point. What is far more important is that we teach everyone to see themselves as a leader, and learn to see the world, and act in the world, as a leader does. Everyone has leadership potential. The acme of heroic leadership is to see and then release potential in others. The correct prism of development we must always retain is this: one leader at a time, one day at a time, leader after leader, day after day. There simply is no other way. The ultimate test of a leader and committed mentor is to unlock the latent potential in others.
The Turn
A hard truth all leaders must accept is, initially, people have not yet decided to willingly follow you. Yes, you may carry certain authority and power related to your rank or position, but these external trappings alone will not entice followers to willingly give their best. All followers begin in terms of psychological disposition as subordinates. Their psychological posture is akin to backs turned to the leader—facing away. They are waiting for the leader to resonate and do so in a way that naturally invites them to turn around, face the leader, and then give their full measure. Leaders must “lead the turn.” And how can we best do this? By seeing people not as subordinates, but as leaders! We must embrace a culture of “leaders leading leaders”—to generate this psychological turn and move people along a development continuum that begins as subordinates but then moves to follower, member, and then leader. If we lower our gaze to leaders leading subordinates, we get mediocrity. When we elevate our gaze to a paradigm of leaders leading leaders, we release excellence and discover the realm of champions.
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