“It is possible, in this time of profound disruption, for leadership to be a noble profession that contributes to the common good”, writes Margaret Wheatley in her book, Who Do We Choose to Be? Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity (Berrett-Koehler, 2017). “It is possible as we face the fearful complexity of life-destroying problems, to experience recurring moments of grace and joy. It is possible, as leaders of organizations, communities, and families, to discover deep and aiding satisfaction in our work if we choose not to flee or withdraw from reality. It is possible to find a path of contribution and meaning if we turn our attention away from issues beyond our control and focus on the people around us who are yearning for good leadership and engage them in work that is within reach. It is possible to use our influence and power to create islands of sanity in the midst of a raging destructive sea.”
Given how 2020 is unfolding, it is time for us to reclaim leadership as a noble profession. We can do this by focusing on the following four specific actions.
First, we need to understand that what is happening today reflects a series of decisions and choices over time. As I often point out to my students, what is happening today within a company reflects the strategic decisions made three to five years ago. The same goes for our lives at home and in the communities where we live. Our challenge now is to figure out what new choices we need to make so we are in better places at work and at home during the coming years.
Second, we need to focus on people and finding the good within them. While judgement keeps us distant from each other, showing unconditional and compassionate, loving kindness can bring us together. We need to remember that each and every person is doing the best they can given what they know and what they have experienced in life. We must remember that we belong to each other.
Third, we need to be people of integrity. We do this by treating each person we meet and the community within which they live with dignity and respect. We must strive to be better people and to remember that community, contribution and connections are “the very things that truly give life meaning and purpose”, as noted by Margaret Wheatley.
Finally, we must ask ourselves an important question: Why did I want to become a leader in the first place? Understanding our motives around leadership are critical to our reclaiming the nobility of leadership. Patrick Lencioni in his excellent book called, The Motive: Why So Many Leaders Abdicate their Most Important Responsibilities (Wiley, 2020), writes that many people in leadership positions “spend time and energy based on what they are going to get, rather than what they need to give the people they’re supposed to be leading.” They have forgotten that leadership is about doing the job, not just having it.
As he continues, “At the most fundamental level, there are only two motives that drive people to become a leader. First, they want to serve others, to do whatever is necessary to bring about something good for the people they serve…. The second basic reason why people choose to be a leader - the all-too-common but invalid one - is that they want to be rewarded. They see leadership as the prize of years of hard work and are drawn by its trappings: attention, status, power, money.”
As he concludes, “I believe it’s long past time that we, as individuals and as a society, reestablish the standard that leadership can never be about the leader more than the led…. leadership is meant to be joyfully difficult and selfless responsibility.”
When we as leaders reclaim and live up to the nobility of leadership, we must make mindful choices, role model integrity and compassion, and serve others with clarity of purpose. Then, we will “create islands of sanity in the midst of a raging destructive sea.” And this will make all the difference in our lives at work, at home and in our communities.
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