One of the most powerful and important questions a leader can ever ask is this: What story does your leadership allow those you lead to tell with their life? You see, not everyone has the courage to step into the high positions of leadership such as CEO, President or VP, but everyone wants to have control over their personal life. Few – if any – simply want to be a pawn on someone else’s chessboard, to be used or sacrificed at the whim of another. We make choices about our jobs, homes, friends, cars, churches, pets, all so we can tell a story with our life. When the options given to us fail to align with that story, stress, frustration, defiance, fear, and anger can all creep in to influence our behavior, performance and attitude.
At first blush, Marissa Mayer’s telecommuting edict failed to allow many of her employees to tell the story they wanted to tell with their lives—but it also simultaneously lit up the possibilities for others. While some likely felt empowered, others felt untrusted or suddenly shackled. I don’t expect Marissa to have an intimate understanding of the personal story of each of her nearly 11,500 employees, and it’s impossible to make a decision that will ideally align with everyone’s story. However, that doesn’t change the ultimate question: What is the story your leadership allows those you lead to tell with their life?
Every individual at Yahoo is a leader of and within Yahoo. The challenge for leaders at the top of any organization is having the courage to accept that everyone isn’t driven in the same way as they are, and to create an environment that allows every leader below to shine in their personal leadership while serving the organization. The challenge for the leaders below is to be aware of the story they want to tell and make the bold and/or difficult choices required for that story. When leaders at the top realize that staff are not pawns to be used and sacrificed at in their corporate chess match, and when those below realize that they too are actually leaders of their own life and not pawns on someone else’s chess board, and when they both begin asking what story their leadership of self and others allows those they lead to tell with their life – then we will be cultivating true leadership! CEO’s like Marissa may still make decisions like her’s, but they will be doing so in a way that engages the leaders below them to incorporate this decision into their story. Likewise, those below will be asking what opportunities this decision opens up for them in their story.
Without this question there lives an “us & them” atmosphere, each person for themselves, and a lack of loyalty on either side. At the very heart of this important question lives an atmosphere of compassion and collaboration. People want to know their boss and their company has their back and truly cares about who they are.
