Shhh… yes, you. The one in the corner (office). If you
are the leader, you are doing a great job of hiding it. While we sometimes
accuse others of failing to exhibit the qualities and traits we expect of
leaders, often we are the ones hiding our leadership. Sometimes, our leadership
is a well-kept secret.
When I am not feeling particularly leader-worthy, I find
myself avoiding others and evading my responsibilities. Then it hits me… I am
not acting like the leader I want to be. Maybe it’s time to face the reality
that you are not always the leader that you think you are. Sometimes you
retreat into hiding and your leadership is nowhere to be seen. Maybe this is
temporary… or maybe not!
As I speak to and work with leaders, I have discovered
three common issues that tend to mask leadership. Your leadership may be a
well-kept secret if you are selfish, closed-minded or disengaged. The following
three questions serve to test the transparency of our leadership. I wonder
which of these issues most affects your leadership?
Are
you a selfish leader? Leadership is influence and we achieve
this through relationships. When we put our needs before those of the team we
abandon the relationship. Our focus is inward and we are no longer generous with
our time and talents, we become desensitized to others and their needs. Martin
Luther King, Jr. expressed it this way, “Every man must decide whether he will
walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive
selfishness.” When we are selfish, our actions no longer align with the
expectations of our role and our leadership becomes destructive.
Are
you a closed-minded leader? Leadership is inclusive and
we achieve this by listening to and respecting the ideas others bring to the
table. When we find ourselves becoming intolerant and unreceptive to new ideas
we put the team at risk. We lose our humility, begin to make poor decisions and
ultimately our confidence can be impacted. We become less approachable and
others begin to write us off. Businessman Bo Bennett suggested “The only place
opportunity cannot be found is in a closed-minded person.” When we stop
considering new ideas and listening to others, we close the door on new
opportunities and growth.
Are
you a disengaged leader? Leadership is connection and we achieve
this by engaging with others. When we find ourselves reacting to problems and
being unprepared to lead we may sever the bond between leader and team. Our
communication suffers, we lose vision and clarity and we start blaming others for
the problems. We begin to appear insincere and less authentic. Steve Jobs said
it best, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” If we are
disengaged from our team, none of us are doing great work.
