This is my leader speech. Advice on being a leader. I feel qualified to write this because I am a leader. It is my belief that the only requirement to be a leader is to declare yourself one. Whether you are a good or effective leader; that's not so easy. This advice can help. At least, it works for me. But caution: if you are going to be a leader, you must not follow this advice.
Gender, age, social status, job title or wealth does not constrain, limit or define leadership. Because leadership is defined by individual and expressed by identity Me; I am not man: I am human. Formed in the image of God as I believe in Him and, because I can not understand the totality of God, I must worship the image of what I do understand. Thus my first tenant of leadership is followership. Following something that is bigger than me and bigger still than what I understand. I follow. I strive. I learn. It makes me a better leader.
And I am a leader: a human spirit formed in the image of God. I am accountable as the owner of myself and my identity which is made of God, family and community.
So Do You Want To Be a Leader?
I said earlier that you must not follow this advice. It's true. If you do, you fail as a leader. As a leader you have to adopt this deliberately, with decision and intent, modify it as you think best and apply it where and when you choose to apply it. In other words, don't follow this advice: lead it.
Lead Yourself:
To be a leader you must lead yourself, and do so deliberately. This is true whether or not you lead others because they may or may not follow. Whether or not you have a leadership position, or title, or job description because that doesn't make you a leader. A leader leads only themselves. If followers exist; they can only exist because they choose to follow. A leader respects and expects that their followers are leading themselves; even if they are not a leader or even if they are. If you don't treat your followers as leaders then you will find yourself trying to lead more than yourself. Lead many and you will fragment. Lead yourself and let others follow by choice and you will unite.
Be Worthy of A Vision You Choose:
To decide to be a leader that leads yourself you must be worthy of a vision that you select. You must select a vision with assurance and deliberately. You must believe in it and only modify it when you can do so deliberately; preferably rarely. Because while your understanding and leadership must grow, adapt and change; it can not do so if you are following a vision that wobbles. Your vision must be more important than you but it cannot be you. You must look to God, family or community and choose one. You must look deeper and choose something within the one that is worthy. This is your first leadership decision. Because you must choose or your course is random. You can't choose all or your leadership will spin in circles. Choose wisely.
Choose a Vision That Makes a Better Spiritual World:
To be a leader that leads yourself and is worthy of your vision you must choose a vision that makes a different, and better, spiritual world. The spiritual world is everything the physical world is not. The physical world is the world of time, space and substance. It can be observed, measured, predicted, controlled and repeated. It follows rules of math. The spiritual world, the world your leadership navigates and changes, is not constrained by these. The spiritual world is will and fatigue; drive and despondence; desire and apathy; love and hate; success and disappointment; thoughts, concepts, feelings and a host of other things... none of which can be measured, predicted, controlled, or repeated on demand. Math is useless in the spiritual world (if you give your Love, do you really think you have less than what you started with?) What's different about your changed world and how it is better are decisions you must make, understand, own and believe in. Your vision may have physical consequences, some good - some bad, but if your vision can be measured it will not have the strength to withstand reality.
Be Prepared to See It Through:
To decide to be a leader that leads yourself and is worthy of the vision you believe in to make a better spiritual world you must be prepared to see it through. You will have to lead through doubt, pity, uncertainty, blindness, selfishness, poverty of spirit and criticism. You will have to lead even when beset by confidence, riches and success: those are the graver danger. You will be lonely, misunderstood, unliked, defeated and unrewarded. Indeed, you will also be popular, understood, liked, victorious and revered. All of these things will happen; at random and by design. You must be indifferent Your identity and vision must be strong enough to withstand what comes your way; the worst, the best and the indifference.
Be Humble:
To decide to be a leader that leads yourself and is worthy of the vision you believe in to make a better spiritual world and who is prepared to see it through you must be humble. You will make mistakes: own them. Expect to be wrong, admit you are wrong, understand why you are wrong, forgive yourself, change course if need be and continue to steer for your vision. Don't utter excuses but always look for reasons. Learn. Do not lead other peoples vision but respect it and them. Follow. Exercise integrity at all costs; even if it is a roadblock to your vision: it will be... you cannot steer by a star in a ship that is sinking.
Be Yourself:
To decide to be a leader that leads yourself and is worthy of the vision you believe in to make a better spiritual world and who is prepared to see it through with humility you must be yourself. If you see traits in others that you would like to emulate by all means do so. If you see traits in yourself that you would like to eliminate then by all means do so. But do so deliberately. Decide to own a different you that grows from your leadership and grows toward your vision. Work toward it genuinely. To "fake it" is to be a hollow shell, a mannequin... a dummy.
And Finally...
To decide to be a leader that leads yourself and is worthy of the vision you believe in to make a better spiritual world and who is prepared to see it through with humility as yourself: You must not follow this advice.
No comments:
Post a Comment