Leadership Changes and My Thoughts on Shoes

Over the last few weeks, I have reflected on the right way to follow someone else’s leadership example. It is smart to learn from the successes and, more importantly, the mistakes of others, but comparing yourself to another person is a slippery slope. It can quickly morph into a competition accompanied by the inherent conundrum that there will always be somebody or something better. It takes a rare person to be constantly competitive and emotionally healthy at the same time. 

Recently, I have seen several changes of leadership. As these changes approached, a colloquial phrase seemed to come up regularly: “those are big shoes to fill.” Unfortunately, people were intimidated by following a successful and appreciated leader for fear of how they would compare. This illustrates what seems to be an innate need to compete or compare. It can be divisive and discouraging. Imagine how different it will be as we change this paradigm to celebrate the diverse talents and attributes of different leaders. The change could generate excitement, encourage success, and provide room for growth in everyone.

I concede that competition is helpful and appropriate in some circumstances. I grew up playing sports (which seem to have limitless life parallels). I worked hard at staying in shape and honing my skills. Each day included at least an hour or two of practice. In each sport there was a clear time and boundary as well as a universally understood scoring and rules system along with a referee to oversee the competition. Outside of game time, my only true competition was with myself. The ‘me’ of today competed with the ‘me’ of yesterday; progress and improvement at my own rate was the goal and I was my own referee. These principles easily translate to how competition can be healthy and helpful. We should focus most of our energy on a competition with ourselves to improve and do better. When appropriate, expected, and defined we should compete with others in a healthy way with clear parameters and oversight. As a leader, providing clear parameters/spaces for appropriate competition while overseeing or controlling the process is imperative. 

So, while competing can be an important process, we must be careful to use it appropriately. The overall change in the paradigm is simple. In all that we do, while we may doubt ourselves, we must persist at being and bettering ourselves. This does not mean being obstinate and unwilling to listen to suggestions or change. It means that I am best at being me and you are best at being you. This is a competition everyone can win. Trying to be someone else only ensures that you will not do it as well as they did. Instead of trying to “fill their shoes” we should learn from predecessors, develop and hone our skills, and most importantly, wear our own shoes.