The greatest startup ever? Lessons from Heroic Leadership.

“Living with one foot raised.”? That is how St. Ignatius Loyola described what it feels like to be a Jesuit.? Always ready to respond to emerging opportunities.? Having been taught Jesuit teachings through my high school years, I was interested to see how much I was practicing when a friend gave me the book Heroic Leadership by chris lowney .? Living with one foot raised…. Check.? It’s not easy living with me as there is very little down time, resting time, even with this broken ankle!? If there is an opportunity to do something new, I’m an easy yes.? But I was hoping the book would reveal a deeper meaning to this phrase.

I’ll admit, I often struggle with the label “leader” even though I seem to find myself in that position regularly.? To me, a true leader is more about action than words or titles.? I rarely use my current title of CEO in conversations as at my core I feel I’m just one of many working towards a common goal.? But I also recognize that sometimes you need to be that visual marker out in front for others to move towards. Once I was lost on a mountain with some friends while summiting one of Colorado's many Fourteeners. We were tired, scared, and had lost our way. Eventually we found the trail but had to cross a boulder field to get there. I led the way, showing the others how to traverse the rocky terrain. After several stressful hours we got back on track and successfully summited.? Balancing those two worlds, when to lead and when to serve, will be a lifelong journey for me.?

But back to Heroic Leadership and why I am writing this post.? The teachings of the Jesuits are a solid foundation for company culture, purpose and action.? Don’t believe me… hundreds of years before Silicon Valley startups starting preaching “fail fast,” the Jesuits had their own version, preaching self-awareness, growth, and progress only comes from learning by doing, reflecting on daily life, learning from change.? Founded in 1540 with no capital or business plan, they went on to build the world’s most influential company of its kind, established and maintain the largest higher-education network across the globe, and still thrive today some 500 years later.

After reading the book, I was pleased that several of my leadership philosophies aligned (the education worked – thanks Mom and Dad!) and was excited to learn new teachings on being a better person and leader.? You decide if they mean more to your personal growth, professional growth, or perhaps… both.

In the book Heroic Leadership, Chris Lowney breaks down the Jesuit mindset into four pillars. I use these pillars as a guide towards becoming a better leader and building a kick ass team.

The First Pillar -

Self-Awareness:? Understanding one’s strengths and weaknesses

Knowing who you are, what a gift!? It is so basic and simple, yet so hard to achieve as it takes time and commitment to get there.? As a leader, showing others you don’t have all the answers, or skills to get the answers, can be scary and impowering.? But when you operate in this state of vulnerability you will notice the fear drops off and the gains from becoming self-aware are massive.? I want skilled people on my team who are great at what they do, know their own strengths, weaknesses and know when to lean into other's strengths.? This inspires people to lead, follow, and move quickly towards their goals.

The Second Pillar -

Ingenuity:? Confidently innovative and adaptive to embrace a changing world

I had a history professor in college tell us over and over, “the rate of change is changing.”? The pace of our world continues to quicken.? Progress is unrelenting.? Preserving your foundation while developing tools, processes and a culture that leans into these changes to find the new opportunities will keep your team focused on the common goal and close to home.? My company OnStation is changing a core function in our industry.? It’s going to change with or without us.? The innovative companies see this and spend their energy making this change a benefit.? Others spend precious energy holding onto the status quo.? Which are you?? Which is better positioned to continue towards the goal?

My favorite line from the book: “Cut your suit according to your cloth, only let us know how you have acted.” ?When team members are self-aware, and have the training and encouragement to be innovative, those closest to the action (the customer) can make decisions based on the world in front of them.? So often management / leaders are far removed from the real problem solving at a company.? One can dictate down and control the decisions based on a narrow frame of reference OR give your team the tools they need to do their job and get out of the way.? I’ll live with mistakes made in the pursuit of getting it right as a lesson will be learned, versus the opposite, mistakes from fear of failure, as those can be devastating.

The Third Pillar -

Love:? Engage others with a positive loving attitude

Love in the workplace!? There are so many ways that can go.? I married my boss, taking love in the workplace to another level!? But on a more practical level, show people you care.? Be nice.? Be supportive.? Don’t engage in the drama. More action than words.? A short, casual, positive encounter with a team member can carry more weight than a polished corporate memo… if it comes from a place of love.? Which employee comes closer to reaching their full potential – the one spending energy being the model employee they think you want them to be OR the one spending all their energy working on the problem at hand knowing the company has their back??

The Fourth Pillar -

Heroism:? Energizing oneself and others through heroic ambitions

“Work as if success depends on your own efforts but trust as if all depends on God” St Ignatius.

Heroic leadership is a commitment to help others realize their full human potential, a daily pursuit of a way of life that focuses on goals greater than oneself and a recognition that every moment is an opportunity to make an impact.? I feel leadership / management boils down to this multiplier effect – leading by example, every day, and inspiring those close to you to be a better version of themselves today versus yesterday.? The ripple effect across your two-person team or two thousand team members will be massive.

One last concept I am particularly a fan of: Indifference – freedom from attachments to places and possessions.? Our “stuff”, long held beliefs, status, titles, material worth, etc. weights us down and slows us down in moments that require change.? Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate my comfortable safe house, my carbon triathlon bike, my ability to pay college tuition.? But those are not my measuring stick, not what determines my self-worth or happiness.? If they were all gone tomorrow, how I’ve treated people, loved those around me, strived daily to be a better version of myself, remains.? The freedom of indifference enables one to continue forward, to simply make the next best decision you can, then the next, then the next.?

Here's the catch… all of us are leaders.? And all of us are followers.? How you carry yourself, engage with others, spread joy is a daily gift.? One day you are climbing a mountain saying follow me!? The next day you’re helping a friend move.? No one gets it perfect.? No one is right all the time.? A song in church I love has the line “for a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up.”? Your journey, your team’s progress, a company’s success will not be a straight line.? Appreciate the continuous opportunities that come in this.?