The True Responsibility of Leadership

There are thousands of articles defining both the word and concepts of "Leadership": "What makes for effective leadership?"; "What defines a great leader?"; "How to become a great leader?"; "How do you lead during a crisis?"; I am guilty of adding to the plethora of theses and philosophies.

I do believe however, especially in these times of crises, what gets missed is actually the responsibility (burden?) of leadership that those who are fortunate enough to find themselves leading other people need to be extremely mindful of. In a nutshell, I believe that people in these positions need to take their sense of responsibility more seriously or at least be more aware of the fact that their positions come with a heavy weight of responsibility.

It seems to me that any full grown mature adult would have the desire to be responsible, to help where he can in a world that needs so very much, that threatens us so very much

- Noman Lear

I am not just talking about CEO's politicians or other high profile societal leaders, and I will leave them out of this conversation for now as much has already been written about them. In all walks of life, any position where you are a key influencer or have some modicum of "power" (I use that term loosely), demands a certain amount of responsibility and hence accountability.

You may not have asked for it. You may not have wanted it. But suddenly you have a huge amount of influence over other people's moods, thoughts, actions and lives. Here are some commonplace examples:

Parents: Yes. YOU. How you exert your huge amount of influence on your children determines the next generation's morals, ethics and attitudes. Is that a big enough responsibility for you? How you shape their attitudes, their thought processes, their moral compasses, their independence of thought and their sense of self worth and confidence, actually shapes society for years to come. In light of the tragic and unconscionable recent events, what conversations have you had with this next generation so that the mistakes of our generation and those before us finally do not repeat themselves? How we conduct ourselves, our body language, our tone of voice and - most importantly - our actions, have immeasurable impact on the next generation. I believe we underestimate that 'responsibility'. I can honestly say that this has always been my wife and my main priority - leave the world a better place than you found it through effective 'leading' your children.

Teachers: I could argue that K-12 teachers have the second most influence in society. They are molding our children's minds and attitudes based on how they comport themselves in their classrooms and in the halls of schools everywhere. What lessons are our kids receiving from our teaching population that aren't found in the text books? What messaging is being purveyed and examples being set? Are our children's minds being truly trained to be open and tolerant? Teachers have an incredible amount of responsibility in their position of supreme influence.

Coaches: Having been a youth coach myself, I know first hand the responsibility that the position demands not just regarding the team members but their families at large. Families nowadays are highly involved in their children's extra-curricular activities and want to ensure they are being led safely, responsibly and their skills are being enhanced daily. As a coach, what you teach and how you role model off the pitch or ice is more important than the x's and o's of a particular sport. When I was given the honor to coach a group of young men or women, I felt a solemn duty to model the right behavior regarding life lessons related to sportsmanship; winning and losing with grace; instilling a high work ethic and treating everyone fairly - with consequences for anyone who broke the mantra of "TEAM" first. Even at the collegiate professional levels, coaches hold an enormous amount of influence on player's careers and livelihoods, but more importantly on young men and women's lives and character.

Community / Religious / Societal Leadership: Activists, community organizers, faith leaders are either thrust into their positions, appointed, elected or developed. They bear an enormous burden of responsibility to do right by their followers and their communities at large. Usually, they are selfless, well meaning and well intentioned. Sometimes they are successful and sometimes they are not. But they must never lose sight of their responsibility to stand up for what is morally and ethically right and set a good example for the broader population.

Social Media Influencers: A relatively new category of 'leadership'. If those who have hundreds of thousands or millions of 'followers' on their social media feeds do not believe they have a responsibility to behave in an appropriate manner and set an excellent example then they are missing not only the point of responsibility but an awesome opportunity to have an instantaneous positive influence on so many members of society.

Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love

- Martin Luther King Jr.

It's one thing to say that you want to lead or influence or even gain followers on your IG feed. It's totally another to take any type of leadership seriously and feel responsible for your actions, comments and behaviors. It is the ultimate way to serve your own constituents, whether it be your very own family, your students, your teams, your congregations or your communities. It is incumbent on any of us in positions of influence, regardless of what form it takes or what position we hold to feel the weight of responsibility and truly lean into it.

You literally hold people's hearts and minds in the palm of your hands.

Lloyd A. Perlmutter is Founder/President of Veritas Advisory, LLC and has been leading and advising organizations for over 35 years. Call 248-794-9673 to have a meaningful and powerful conversation