Leadership is Not Predictable
Leadership is not predictable.
Some of the people who work with me do not see the selves as leaders, and do not really want to be leaders because they think leadership is boring.
They have been told that leadership is a set of skills that will give them the tools to they need to deal with the situations they might face as a leader. They can learn and practice these skills so they will be prepared for anything they might be asked to do.
Now, I enjoy being prepared. I also believe in the power of practicing and developing skills.
Leadership is more than being ready for what might come next. It is more than having a system in place to find and plug in the correct response. That would be predictable, and get boring.
Leadership is engaging. First of all, it is engaging yourself. The leaders who inspire me are people who recognize and appreciate their own core values and vision for leadership. They spend time getting to know who they are in the deepest possible ways.
Leaders also engage the people around them. Their trues selves connect to the true selves with whom they work and live, and share the values and vision that draw people toward living and working together well. Leaders relate more authentically and openly, and create more authentic community.
Through their communities, leaders engage the rest of the world. Leaders establish an environment that nurtures community and develops new ways to put values and vision into practice.
Leadership that grows out from core values and vision is alive and healthy. When we come together around values, there is a flexibility and creativity that is not predictable, and definitely not boring.
Is your leadership boring?
Do you think leadership is predictable?
[Image by greeblie]
4 Comments
Jennifer Olney
July 10, 2012Great post, Greg. No, I do not believe leadership is predictable. It’s ever evolving and unpredictable, which is what makes it a challenge and engaging to be a leader. Our leadership is be ready what is to come and be ready to face the adversity to lift up those we serve when the time is right. It’s a great privilege to be a leader and to lead ourselves is the first challenge.
Strategic Monk
July 10, 2012Thank you, Jen. I agree, it is a challenge and a privilege to be a leader. There is a big difference between being prepared and having pre-packaged answers to plug into new situations. Our leadership flows out of our true selves.
Martina
July 10, 2012No, Greg, I don’t find or think leadership boring or predictable. There may be a lot of parts that are predictable, especially to those who are prepared; but this still doesn’t mean it must be boring. It is the challenge of leadership that excites most of us. It is knowing that you are the best prepared for the task, can see the way “through” and lead others there.
As you know, many people who lead well do it from a position of no title. Perhaps you should consider losing some of the titles since it sounds like they are getting the job donr anyway. Just a thought.
Martina
Strategic Monk
July 10, 2012Thank you, Martina!
I agree. For a lot of people, it is the title, or the expectations, or the personal requirements of being a “leader” that makes them uncomfortable. People who recognize that they are leaders, even beyond the titles and expectations, and appreciate their own unique way of leading are generating new ways to understand what leadership can be.