#156: What Is Leadership?

Pip draws such a thought-provoking dichotomy here that I hadn’t previously thought of before – the difference between leaders and people in positions of power. Why do we assume that just because someone has power they “should” be a leader? Why are we telling people what to do in the first place? These are big questions I think I will be wrestling with for a long time. 

- Lauren

What Is Leadership?

Part #1                STRUGGLING… RECEIVING WISDOM…

A few years back, for a few days I was really struggling as I was thinking that my attempts to nurture community in the world were utterly fruitless. I called my son Eamon late one night as I was driving on 95N somewhat dejectedly crossing into New Hampshire on my way to Maine.

He responded that he knew community was extraordinarily important to me.

He suggested that even if I fully failed in every single one of my attempts to generate annnny of this “community” thing I sought to have much more of in the world…that if I nonetheless lived true to my intention…when I was in the final stages of dying, I would likely believe that my life had been fully worth living.  

If I, however, abandoned my intention for community, I might likely die with the disturbance of incredible regret.

Part #2                 A WORKING DEFINITION OF LEADERSHIP

Leadership. One possible working definition:

When I wake up in the morning, what is it I really truly deeply want to see more of in the world? “Leadership” is what do I do to create more of that.

Part #3            BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP DON’T MIX ?? 

I think we are all very confused between “positions of power” and “leadership.” I see them as distinctly different.

BUT we EXPECT people in positions of power to BE leaders. We call them leaders. And then we say things like “what we need our leaders to be doing is…” We want THEM to carry out OUR wishes of what WE might want to see more of in the world! Slightly ironic?  We want others we call leaders to take our implicit directions!

Even more complex is when we cross “leadership” with managing toward business goals.   

I personally don’t think anyone wakes up intrinsically wanting to sell more bottles of Diet Coke or hit the monthly numbers as a true passion for the world. No one in their last stages of dying will likely consider that “hitting the numbers” was THE thing.  

But we put people in positions of power to execute toward selling more Diet Coke and to hit the numbers.  

Those “position of power” goals are often quite explicit. That is WHY they were hired! 

But we/society seem also to want those Diet Coke sellers to be “leaders,” to do their work in the way we want to see it…  (“Our business leaders SHOULD…”)

Part #4             BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP MIX… SOMETIMES

But for some it seems, there is a deep alignment of their heart and the “position of power” day-to-day objectives – a calling or vocation. “Hitting the numbers” becomes the vehicle for creating more in the world of what they want to see…service, collaboration, teamwork, compassion, teaching, joy, dedication, family, excellence, care, selflessness, love… or…

…community, as Eamon understood in me.

What would I like to also see more of in the world?

I would love the world to experience “business” to consciously grow as a pathway for all leaders…my working definition includes everyone in this…

Thank you, Eamon, for your guidance.