Surprising Leadership

There are people who are convinced being a leader is all about knowing what to expect.

We are told leadership is having a plan, and putting our plans into action. Leaders need to assess the resources, human and otherwise, they can put to work. Leadership is knowing what to expect and how to respond to every possible eventuality. Leaders measure at least twice before making their one cut.

Surprise, the unexpected, does not fit very well within our stated leadership parameters.

Surprise, though, is not the enemy of effective leadership. Inspiring leaders recognize the potential power of surprise as a leadership tool.

The leaders who inspire me draw qualities and ideas out of us that surprise us. The leaders we most remember are people who motivate us to try surprising things. We try to do things we have never tried before, and are surprised by what happens. We are able to do more than we thought we could, to create new results. We are able to make new paths toward our goals, to see things in new ways. We remember and say, “I never thought of that before.”

Leaders inspire us to work together in surprising ways. Leaders help us complement each other and build surprisingly effective partnerships. Leaders help us exceed our own expectations.

Having a plan is helpful in important ways. Surprises happen as we put our plans into action in new ways. Leadership helps us move beyond our plans and expectations toward our goals.

We may think of leadership in terms of calculations and measurements. It is easy for us to want to know everything in advance.

Leadership surprises us, taking us beyond the limits we place on ourselves.

When is the last time leadership surprised you?

How much room to be surprised is there in your leadership?

[Image by lovingyourwork.com]