LKYSPP AOL - Blog I

What does “leadership” mean to you? What benefit would you get from improving your leadership skills?

“The American People want leadership. And in the absence of genuine leadership, they will listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They're so thirsty for it, they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand.

We've had Presidents who were beloved, who couldn't find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight. People don't drink the sand, because they're thirsty. They drink it because they don't know the difference.”

-The American President (movie)

I believe that at first thought, most people would think of leadership as ‘telling others what to do’ or ‘being the boss’. In fact, in the US I would assert that our cultural skepticism of authority even leads most Americans to see leadership more often than not with a negative connotation. There are of course exceptions and examples of ‘great leaders’ – Abraham Lincoln, JFK, even perhaps current President Obama for some. But in everyday life I believe the average American sees a majority of examples of poor leadership, hence the negative association.

To me, true leadership doesn’t require being in a position of power but it does mean being able to observe, assess and identify what a group or team of individuals needs to succeed, and then to provide that need (through struggle if necessary). The need could be tangible like resources or technical expertise, or it could also be intangible like guidance, encouragement or discipline. Doing this creates respect and trust from the individuals and creates a ‘safe space’ within which they feel comfortable and empowered to function in.

Too often are individuals seeking leadership positions for the glory or the paycheck and I believe that if more served as leaders who truly cared about their team and its objective, more would be achieved. When I was young, my dad had a single frame in his office at home that hung on the wall and said:

“There’s no limit to what you can accomplish, if you don’t care who gets the credit”

It had hung there since before I was born and I remember trying to understand it when I was first learning to read. Later on when I could read quite well I would read it over and over but couldn’t understand what it meant. I wondered - why would getting credit prevent one from accomplishing something? Only now having worked for a number of years do I understand its wisdom and important encouragement to position one’s frame of mind correctly.

Improving my own leadership skills would enable me to embody my own definition of leadership above and facilitate success, no matter what the situation or role I may be playing in the professional, volunteer or personal aspects of my life. I believe this ability is desired by and lacking in society, which is why true leadership is so revered and why I’m eager to possess true leadership skills.