Pr 23: 12 (NIV) Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.
Interesting discussions lately, on LinkedIn®, about leadership vs. management and whether leadership can be taught within a 10-day framework. Some confused management with leadership.
I have found the Kotter’s view that management is more about managing complexity and leadership is about managing change to be most helpful in distinguishing the difference. Change is a very individual journey. Leaders pull followers with them on that journey.
Change begins when an individual is able to take instruction and see it more than a simple collection of facts; rather, it drives a personal worldview – those facts mean something.
How we view ourselves (our very “origin,” our view of Truth, our role in society) impacts how we view others (their value, importance and meaning). Leaders are people who are centered and therefore can love others in a way the builds community – a team – with honest, encouraging camaraderie. Leaders invest the time to develop the habits needed to apply the heart and tune the ears so that, with true altruism, they can give themselves.
Leaders give. Time. Resources. Insights. Instruction. Encouragement. Energy. Leadership that promotes followers and builds new leaders is framed within the context of serving. The servant-leader has learned to learn – because knowing self and controlling self is not an event – it’s a process. Lifelong. Ongoing. Like learning.
Are you learning to be a leader?
Copyright ©2010 by P. Griffith Lindell
Thursday, September 23, 2010
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We've all heard the story about filling a jar. If you fill a jar with golf balls is the jar full, yes and no. it is full of golf balls but it is not completely full. You then add pebbles and it is then full of golf balls and pebbles but not truly full. Eventually you add sand then water, now it is truly full (unless on the sub atomic level I've missed something.
Leadership and learning are similar in that no matter how good a leader you think you are, you still have room to grow and no matter how much you already know you still have more to learn.
That in itself should keep most of us humble which leads to better team unity. If as a leader nobody wants to follow you, then you are not leading anyone.
Yes, I'm learning.
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