The Leading Edge: Your Leadership Stories

This post originally appeared on the John Maxwell Team blog.

By Mitch Tublin, certified John Maxwell Team coach, speaker & trainer.

Many often wonder how it is possible for everyone to be a leader. After all, if everyone is a leader and a leader needs followers, then who are the followers?

Everyone leads and follows at the same time! For example, consider the captain of a baseball team. This person is typically an experienced player who is selected to be both a mentor and a leader to members of the team. At the same time, the team has coaches and a manager whom the captain must follow.

In this article I am going to share three questions designed to help you determine how you define leadership and how you can begin increasing your capacity to lead. Write out your answers to the questions and determine whether you are on the path to be the best leader you can. I’ve provided my answers to give you insight into my leadership aspirations and the path I’ve chosen to increase my capacity.

Question One: What is your first memory of stepping into a leadership role? How old were you? What took place?

My first memory of stepping into a leadership role was when I was fifteen years old. Our football team was on the bus going to a big game. We knew the opponent had more players and they expected to win.

I stood up on the bus while we were driving to the game and I spoke to our team. I had never done something like that before. I talked about everyone doing their assigned job. If each of us did what we had to do, if each of us continued to play until the whistle was blown on every play no matter what, we would win as a team.

Our team had eighteen players and more than half played both ways throughout the game. The other team had 36 players and no one played both ways. While my speech helped to set the tone for the way we played, we ultimately won because we played as a team!

Question Two: Who is a leader you have admired? What is one story about something you learned?

In another lifetime, (seriously, too long ago), when I worked aboard deep sea oceangoing ships, one of my first Ship Masters (the captain) would hold unannounced fire drills. Many times these are planned and conducted on the same day and time each week, more or less. This captain, however, would hold a fire drill with no notice at all. In addition, he would add in a “Man Overboard” element. There was a supply of large orange painted drums and he would instruct the Boatswain to toss one of the drums overboard and to shout, “man overboard!”

The deck officers of the watch would each take a turn conducting the Williamson Turn Maneuvers. Working with the engine room, they would pilot the vessel to pick up the drum. The entire process was to practice for the events in case of an emergency and to make it as realistic as possible.

In my next ten plus years at sea I never met anyone who conducted their drills in this manner. Due to the captain’s unique leadership, I had the opportunity to learn shiphandling skills at a very early stage in my career.

Question Three: What are you currently doing to raise your leadership lid?

In the bestselling book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell discusses how your leadership lid will not only hold you back but will also hold back those who report to you. The question is: what am I going to do about it?

I’ve decided to continue being an active participant in the John Maxwell Team. By taking the time to invest in myself, facilitate Mastermind Groups, and to continue Coaching and Speaking, I have learned that there are always new opportunities to add value to others. Through this process I continue to learn and grow.

While we are all leaders, it is only with a commitment to continuous development that we can continue to grow our influence and expand our ability to lead ourselves and others. Once you know what kind of leader you want to be, you can begin taking steps to grow towards that goal.

About Mitch:

Mitch Tublin, MBA, is America’s Navigator for Leaders in Business and Life?. In his field as an advanced certified executive coach, business consultant, trainer, and international speaker, he draws on his extensive experience in corporate roles, entrepreneurial ventures, military training, and participation in competitive sports.

Mitch brings out an individual’s untapped potential to create the strategy, the plan and the steps necessary to achieve that person’s vision for their business and often their life.

Mitch is a Founding Partner of the John Maxwell Team as one of the original members to sign up in March 2011. Since then he has traveled with John Maxwell and other coaches, trainers and speakers of the organization to countries such as Guatemala and Paraguay at the invitation of their respective Presidents, to bring values based leadership training to the people of their nation. Mitch continues to serve as a member of the President’s Advisory Council for the John Maxwell Team.

You can learn more and contact Mitch at www.mitchtublin.com