How Do You Lead?
How do you lead?
It sounds like a simple question, but when you throwthat grenade into a group of leaders, you usually get some hesitation. Some are unsure of what to make of thequestion, while others are clear on the question but unsure of their answer toit. How do you lead? Much like if you asked 12 people what thedefinition of leadership is, you will likely get 12 different answers. However, the response in a leader’s answer tothis question might be the most important part of leadership.
Derived from numerous psychological studies, Authentic Leadership Theory is founded on self-reflection, understanding oneself, and leveraging the strengths that one has been gifted. A leader that assumes a personality and/or attempts to leverage strengths they do not have will often be perceived as inauthentic and will be forced to spend a lot of energy on maintaining the façade, leaving them tired and potentially irritable. On the flipside, when leaders leverage their strengths, they often find themselves energized and enthusiastic, amplifying their credibility amongst their teams.
In his book, Win Forever, Seattle Seahawks’ coach PeteCarroll discusses his early failures while in the National FootballLeague. He tells the story of how muchhe admired Coach John Wooden, the coach of UCLA’s men’s basketball team thatsecured 10 NCAA championships with a record seven in a row. Coach Carroll explains how he respected andadmired Coach Wooden so much that after reading his book, he began to model hisleadership behaviors after Wooden’s. Ifyou know anything about Coach Carroll’s first tenure in the NFL, you know thatapproach did not work out for him. Heattributes this early failure to the fact that he did not have his ownleadership philosophy—he was trying to lead like someone else versus beinghimself. In response, before beingwilling to take on another job, he took months off to dedicate himself to puttingto paper his own leadership philosophy. With his own leadership philosophy in hand and in his heart, he led the Universityof Southern California’s Trojans to a 69 -12 record and 2 championships, andbrought the city of Seattle their first and only Superbowl win.
A leadership philosophy is something so many of usgive little to no thought to while taking on the challenging responsibility ofleading an organization of people. However, without one, a leader potentially becomes a thermometer versusa thermostat. Meaning, a leader thatlacks a leadership philosophy is often reactive to their environment like athermometer. In contrast, a leader who owns and lives to their leadershipphilosophy, will find themselves influencing their environment like athermostat. So, what does a leadershipphilosophy look like?
My personal opinion on the definition of a leadershipphilosophy is this—it is the culmination of one’s personal meaning and purposein life intersecting with their own definition of leadership. I have found that my purpose or mission inlife is to improve myself, help others to improve, and to contribute to theimprovement of the environment in which I have influence. That is what I believe to be my purpose forexistence. My personal definition ofleadership is “guiding those in one’s sphere of influence towards a goal whilebuilding consensus amongst those that follow.” Where my definition intersects with my purpose has evolved into how Ido business as a leader, or my leadership philosophy of serve, recognize, andimprove.
This simple 3-part leadership philosophy is what I feel I bring to an organization—how I lead. I bring service to those I work for…those I am honored to lead, those above me in the chain of command, as well as my peers. Service to me is about ensuring needs are met. These needs may be mentorship, resources, training, personal or professional development, a sounding board, and even discipline. Yes, I said discipline, because I believe instilling discipline is a vital service that leaders provide their organization. Once I have set the foundation of service, I can focus on recognizing the great efforts of teammates. This may come in the form of tangible rewards, a pat on the back, ensuring teammates feel valued, or even having an article written on the team’s impact on the mission. Finally, once I have ensured the components of service and recognition are solidified, I can focus on improving everything our team does. My leadership philosophy is so important to me that I even have it on my personal coin. It’s a reminder of who I am as a leader and how I want to lead.
It’s important that when one develops their personal leadership philosophy that it be something that is sustainable, that it is meaningful to them, and that it can be taken to any organization in which they have the privilege to lead. Leadership philosophies are not organizationally specific—they are personal to the leader. They are not simple mantras or mottos…they are comprised of one’s personal meaning and leadership definition. In essence, it is part of who you are in your very being. They can be represented by a picture or an item, a paragraph in a journal, or simply just three words that represent so much more, like mine.
The benefits of having a leadershipphilosophy is that it prevents one from being swept into the whirlwind that isorganizational life. Ithelps a leader prioritize their “big rocks.” It helps one remain motivated despite being slammed by administrivia andthe daily grind. It ensures a leaderdoesn’t lose themselves being reactive and helps them focus their energy on themeaningful versus being sucked dry by the meaningless. It enables a leader to remain true to whothey are…
Some of us are still finding out who we are and whatwe stand for, and that’s okay! It tookme awhile and didn’t manifest itself to me until I took an opportunity for somecareer broadening. Others may havefigured it out but never thought about committing that meaning and leadershipdefinition into a philosophy. Not havinga leadership philosophy doesn’t mean you can’t be an effective leader. However, having one can open doors to yournext level, since as many of us know, there are indeed levels to this thing wecall life. So, I’ll ask again…how doyou lead?
Editor’sNote: Joe Bogdan is the co-founder of LlamaLeadership, is an adjunct professor of leadership studies and is a seniorenlisted leader in the United States Air Force. He has led various organizations with diverse missions across multiplecountries and currently oversees over 400 people composed of U.S. Military andGerman civilian personnel in Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.