The Who & Why of Being a Leader
The Who & Why of Being a Leader
Who am I as a leader?
This is a question I often ask myself…and others.
I have spent 30+ years examining leadership in the US Army, public education, and private business and this is one of my favorite questions to ask.
Why is this??
Because I always learn from other leaders and I am intrigued by the variety of answers and how they collectively evolve over time.
When I ask less-veteran leaders who they are as a leader, I often get concise statements like “I am a servant leader” or “I am a participatory leader.”? Excellent!
When I ask this of veteran leaders, I usually get ambiguous answers like “It depends,” or “I’m not sure.”
Leadership is complex and as good leaders progress in their careers they realize this.? Thus, they understand the magnitude of what leadership is and are not easily able to put it into words…because it is enormous!
Once I get past this initial question I always like to dig deeper and figure out what guiding principles or leadership tenets drive them and which descriptors could be used to define them.
With experience, leaders are more likely to be able to answer questions about their guiding principles or leadership tenets and articulate how to describe themselves.?
Those who are relatively new to leadership roles are less likely to be able to do these things due to lack of experience which makes them more reliant on their formal education (courses, degrees, books they have read, etc).
Good leaders are in a constant state of evolution and here is what you need to think about:
What type of leader are you?
What drives your leadership?
Are you evolving with your role, the organization, and society?
Now I want to shift gears and ask you WHY you are the leader you are.
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For years I have had two seemingly unrelated thoughts:
????I find it hard to learn good leadership from others, but I find it very easy to learn lousy leadership from others.
????I cannot lead like others because I am not them.
Well, about 5 years ago, as I was prepping for a leadership presentation, it hit me: these statements are related!!!!
??I CANNOT LEARN GOOD LEADERSHIP FROM OTHERS BECAUSE I AM NOT THEM, PLUS, I NEED TO LEAD IN A MANNER THAT SUITS MY VALUES AND LEADERSHIP TENETS!!!!!
I am not sure why it took me 20+ years to figure that out, but it did.
Anyway, now I want to consider who you are as a leader.? This is a relatively easy task for most adults.
Now, I want to challenge you to determine WHY you lead the way you do.? No, not the whole Simon Senek-what motivates you why (which is great, BTW), but rather, why do you lead in the manner that you do?
I have asked countless leaders this question and you want to talk about squirm!!!? The answer to this question requires one to look within and determine where some life lessons were learned.
I have literally been called names (albeit good-naturedly) when I press veteran leaders on this topic. Why? Because looking within sometimes makes us face situations, memories, experiences, etc., that we would prefer not to encounter.
This is not an easy task and I have been looking within for 12+ years, thanks to Michael Juech, EdD, SFO , and I am still unsure of all the answers.
Good leaders are in a constant state of evolution and figuring out WHO you are as a leader and WHY you are that leader are both great tools that will help you enhance your leadership.
????If you would like to lead with confidence and become the leader that you are meant to be, contact me at [email protected] today!
??You can do this.
??Good luck.