During our week of leadership training I was introduced to the idea of finding one's True North and in my reading of Bill George's wonderful book True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership I have started a "deep dive" into the topics we skimmed in class. One of the techniques to find your True North is that of using a life time-line to tell your story, to view the events that shaped you and motivate you. We did a shortened version of this in class but I have been working on a longer one and have hit upon something that I recognize as a source of my desire to lead (part of my answer to the Vorlon question of "Who am I?"). My vision of leadership is to provide an environment where people are free to work, to remove obstacles to their ability to work as they best can. Using the technique I saw some things that showed me where at least in part this passion comes from and why for me leadership is a moral issue and not simply a matter for business.
When I was growing up my parents ran several very small businesses in an extremely poor part of the country (hence we were poor too, just a little different level of poor). They constantly had to battle the government with its nit-picky rules just to survive, often feeling frustrated over having to invest what was for us large amounts of our meager funds just to stay up to code even on things that really were not important to our businesses. When they would turn to their elected government officials for help they were far more often than not turned away. I can recall many times when just trying to comply kept us on the edge of going under financially and my folks would take outsides jobs from time-to-time just to stay afloat because it seemed no one was on their side who had any authority to help. Yet, through all of that, I also saw my parents go far out of their way to help those even less fortunate. My mother spent many hours filling out state and federal papers for our customers who were functionally illiterate just so they could get the assistance that was due them according to the existing laws and statutes (interesting for a bunch of Republicans, eh?). My dad would help pitch in when local millers and farmers had problems. When other people came on hard times their past-due notes to us suddenly became not so past due. These events helped shape my view of leadership, the view that people who lead are also servants, ready to help those around then.
This is part of my life story, part of my attempt to answer the Vorlon question and hopefully become a stronger leader.
3 comments:
From what I have read on your Blog, I feel that much of your strength comes from the strong relationship that you have had with your parents. This one was especially touching.
I never really thought of leadership as an avocation in itself. In my field (maybe my former field) which is science, there are those who are predominantly in it for themselves and those who are passionate about the discovery process and their work. The same could be applied to leadership; there are those who want the money and power versus those who want to make the world a better place through their leadership. Your mother set a good example, you seem to be in the latter category.
Wanting money and power isn't necessarily bad unless that is all that you want. If you chase them on their own it can lead to some rather sad results. As Bill George writes "There is nothing wrong with desiring these outward symbols as long as they are combined with a deeper desire to serve something greater than oneself".
I agree with this. However, greed is a powerful motivator; avaricious people will do anything and they are often successful because of it. On the other hand, inventive and creative people are often absorbed in the creative process to the detriment of other aspects of their life. I read an article in the paper detailing the scientists and mathematicians who made the most significant contribution of their century. Prior to this century, most of them ended their days in poverty or the mad house.
I am focusing on thought leaders or inventors as opposed to leaders or managers of people. What should be rewarded, the inventor or the commercial developers? Inventors are leaders in that they are the first to do something but that doesn't mean that they have the people skills to develop their invention.
I am writing this as I am an extreme example, living in abject poverty while trying to figure out how to make a living off my invention or ideas, a woman in a man's world. I suppose that I will see what happens to me.
Post a Comment