How to Become the Leader You Want to Follow

My June and July were whirlwind months of work travel to represent Jackson State University at meetings and conferences with various higher education groups. My favorite moments were being invited to speak on a panel at the CASE Summit for Leaders in Advancement in New York where I discussed the SCOTUS Affirmative Action Decision. I was also invited to present on leadership for the eduWeb Summit in Washington, D.C., which I’ll discuss in today’s post.

My talk was titled, “How to Become the Leader You Want To Follow,” and I was very nervous to have the last presentation slot of the day, which was immediately following an ice cream social (great)! But, surprisingly after saying a quick prayer and playing a little music to get everyone in the mood (Journey and Queen featuring David Bowie), the room was nearly full by the start of my session!

I delivered this talk as a cautionary tale to help aspiring leaders live vicariously through my own rollercoaster ride to leadership. While some people dream of climbing the career ladder, managing a team wasn’t even on my radar a decade ago. In fact, 10 years ago, I moved across country to go work for a former supervisor at my alma mater. I’d been working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles for seven years and when I got the call to become the director of media relations (managing one person) in support of the university that gave me my start, it seemed like a no-brainer! I had accomplished a lot in Hollywood, and I had some great experience to bring to the table. As luck would have it, I was returning to the campus right after a huge crisis. My media management skills were immediately put to the test with visits by national outlets. I was so busy handling press requests, media training students and administrators, and getting adjusted to the new gig that I didn’t spend much time getting to know with my new colleagues. Understandable, right?

Who Are You Spending 8 Hours with at Work?

Three months later, my boss announced that she was going to retire and I nearly passed out! “But, I just moved across country to come work for you,” I complained. I was devastated! I begged her to reconsider. However, my boss told me not to worry because she was going to recommend to her boss, the president, that he promote me to run the office. I was 33, and did I mention that I’d only been there three months? “That doesn’t make me feel any better,” I whined. It didn’t help. She told the president I was her pick to replace her, and he agreed. Suddenly, I went from managing one person to managing 8 people who were less than thrilled that the new girl was in charge! So, my first piece of advice is: Never be too busy to get to know your co-workers! You never know what the future holds and fostering real relationships with your officemates is critical to building a healthy work environment. Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me, but I’m happy to report that I successfully led that team for nine months, all the way through Homecoming, a presidential search and the arrival of a new president who put someone more senior in charge. That’s okay though because the foundation of my leadership capabilities had been laid and I learned another valuable lesson:

Rent Your Title, Own Your Character!?

This quote is from TIAA CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett, whom I had the pleasure of hosting at JSU’s commencement last year. In an interview for Essence magazine, she said, “To know that my title is rented meant that I understand where my value lies. I think what happens so often in our society is, we’re chasing something that we don’t even own. I need to remember that it’s my personal assets that have currency. And so, when the job is no longer for me– I may leave my business card, I may leave the laptop and all the documents, but I am taking my intellectual curiosity. I am taking my grit, my perseverance, my kindness, my joy. Those things are mine. So rent your title but own your character. That will allow you to see people and to understand that every day you’re being mentored. You just need to open your eyes and receive it all.”

Four Attributes of Leadership?

I used the legendary Stephen Covey’s book, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness as the foundation of my talk, and he says "leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves.” If you think leading is being in charge and telling people what to do, sorry! Actually, your job is to help people find their voice. Of course, you will do this through the activities of their role, however, more important than executing any work campaign is your opportunity to pour into people in a way that helps them become a better version of themselves.

You may be asking yourself, “how do I do that? No one trained me to lead people. No one offered me a manual when I took this position. They just left me to figure it out!” ME, TOO!! The good news is you’re not alone. Mr. Covey defines four attributes of leadership:

VISION – Where are you taking your team, and do they know that? Sometimes we assume people know what the goals are, but it’s better to be specific and confirm that everyone is on the same page.

DISCIPLINE – You’ve got to do the right thing and be an example to your team in all aspects of your life. This means you’ve got to meet the deadlines. You’ve got to treat people they way you want to be treated. You must be unflappable in the good times and the bad.

PASSION – You must be on fire for the work! Your team is going to mirror your energy, your attitude, and your faith.

CONSCIENCE – Listen to that still, small voice within. Integrity is how you act when no one is watching, because someone is always watching!

Leaders Provide Room to Grow

I taught the audience various work situations I’ve witnessed or experienced in my career to demonstrate real-life scenarios that they should try out when they are managing people. The best example is becoming a leader who gives people room to grow. For example, meet Alonda. She’s fresh out of college in her first job, living 13 hours away from her family. Her boss assigns her to design a newsletter, a magazine, co-chair the speakers planning committee, and manage a campus visit by MTV. It never dawns on Alonda that she was too young or under-qualified for the tasks at hand, so she rises to her supervisor’s expectations as a result.

My boss believed that I could do it, so I did! Could I have fallen flat on my face with some of these assignments? Sure! Should we have hired a freelancer to design that magazine instead of waiting until I taught myself Photoshop? Absolutely! Then again, where’s the fun in that? How would I have learned if someone didn’t take a chance on me? Now it’s your turn: How is your staff going to learn if you don’t take a chance on them? Lesson: Take chances on your team early and often so they can grow. You’ll learn rather quickly if they will sink or swim.

In conclusion, I can tell you already have what it takes to be a good leader simply by the fact that you read this newsletter all the way to the end! Keep investing in yourself and you’ll be surprised where God will take you!

Lastly, I’d like to thank two people who took a chance on me: Sharon Saunders, who gave me that first opportunity to do it all at North Carolina Central University and again at Florida A&M University. I know you’re probably tired of the shout outs, but I wouldn’t be who I am today without your mentorship! Also, special thanks to Richie Hunter, who extended the kind invitation to speak at eduWeb! Thank you for providing a new opportunity to GROW beyond my own vision of which rooms my gifts should occupy!

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