As 2017 takes shape, I am finding myself recalibrating this masterpiece-in-progress I call my work & the impact I want to have on the world. It’s time to step up and call out our inner leader in meaningful ways. That is, after all, the heart of my work: to change the face of leadership to yours, to facilitate the courage in us “ordinary people” to see that we are indeed leaders. We are powerful creatures, you and I, and that can scare the bejeezus out of us because we are too often conditioned to believe otherwise.
But let us not confuse our powerfulness with leadership. It’s easy to get seduced, to think that leadership is all about power and control and “making” people do what you want. It’s not. If leadership is about power at all, it isn’t about power over others, it’s about power over one’s self. Leadership isn’t power, power is power! And just because someone has power does not mean they’re a leader. All it means is they’re powerful. If you hold a gun to my head and threaten to kill me or my family, you can get me to do pretty much anything. That’s power in the sense that you can “make me do something” — but it certainly isn’t leadership. There’s no invitation, inspiration, connection, long term loyalty or commitment to you, the “leader.” It’s fear-based manipulation I engage with for survival and will run from the first chance I get.
Similarly, just because I have position & authority, that doesn’t make what I say right — especially when I am, in factuality, quite wrong! God knows my family can attest to how many times I am wrong, no matter how authoritatively or intimidatingly I say it. Leadership isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about asking better questions, recognizing limits, engaging with the available knowledge and growing the collective application of wisdom.
What’s more, leadership most certainly is NOT demanding of others a level of integrity to which you are unwilling to hold yourself accountable! You can’t, for instance, insult the crap out of your team and then become offended when they say something insulting or derogatory about you. You set that standard yourself. You can pull rank if you want, fire them if you like, but again: that is NOT leadership. That’s just bullying. Let us remember that leadership is inherently a people thing. We manage tasks, we lead people. Leadership lifts us up to a higher level of integrity and possibility than we can achieve on our own. Leadership has the courage to ask “how great can WE stand it?” It’s an us thing, not a me thing.
As we slide deeper into 2017, boldly ask yourself: What do you need to step into your inner leader? Then go get it.
