Foundational Fridays -- Smooth Sailing

People who know me well, know I'm a big John C. Maxwell fan. Not at all hard to calculate that I own more of his books than any other thought or business leader. He often uses word imagery to make key points.

I also have always appreciated his approachable writing style. His books are not simple in the sense they do not provide great information and insights, because they do. Rather, sharing that I don't need to use a dictionary and a slide rule to figure out what he's trying to impart.

There, of course, are innumerable similar quotes about pessimists, optimists, and a leader's responsibilities no matter in what kind of organization, or team type, you lead. I like this particular quote because wind is like life. We can't control in which direction it blows or goes, or with what intensity.

My dad owned a couple of sailboats and wrote an unpublished book about living on one of those boats for a number of years. He writes about how much he loves catching the wind and making a multi-ton vessel cut through the water.

Sailing is like leading, no matter what the conditions, we can either react or choose. The latter is the better approach. Reaction often connotes and contains emotion, which can lead us to make improper or even irrational decisions. Leaders should display emotion, be empathetic, transparent, and real rather than robotic.

However, making deliberate decisions, clear-eyed choices, leads to better decisions. When tacking a sailboat, you make a series of choices to best catch the changing wind, while still moving the boat in the desired direction. Sure, there is a "feel" to sailing that comes from experience and expertise.

The longer I found myself in leadership positions, whether captaining a three-person team, or a 3,000-person team, and everything in between those sizes along the way, the more I saw things change, and at accelerating rates.

Leaders who keep a steady hand on the wheel, and adjust when needed, are the ones that will continue being successful. In truth, sometimes I feel pessimistic; other times I feel optimistic. What I most understood as a leader is people catch good character, competence, communication, clarity, and confidence.

Notice I didn't include charisma in that list. That is fleeting and often is only useful for short spurts. By focusing on the other "C" traits I shared, we will know when and how to shift the sails to keep our organizations sailing smoothly.