I'm currently 28,000 feet the air flying from Atlanta, Ga to Tulsa, Oklahoma. A good friend from college gets married on Saturday. In fact, I'm going to see a lot of friends from college this weekend. And as I listen to Alexi Murdoch while staring at the ground below, I can't help but reminisce about my four years in college at Oklahoma State University…Go Pokes!
I'll be honest; I had it together in college. I excelled in school, developed life long friendships, learned to walk with the Lord. It was great. In addition, leadership was thrown onto me at every step.
I joined a fraternity, and though I did not resemble my pledge brothers (neither in clothing nor weekend behaviors), they elected me pledge class president. Two years later, I would be elected president of the entire fraternity. I led Bible studies, the Campus Crusade Greek ministry, and emcee'd the weekly meeting for Campus Crusade too. I said yes to leadership opportunities with Homecoming, IFC, and a few honor societies. It was safe to say I saw myself as a leader. And with everybody asking me, I must have been a good leader, right?
My stint with Adventures started as a team leader (obviously…) on the World Race. Then, the unthinkable happened. I was not promoted into more leadership–I was removed. Less than three months in.
So what happened? How could it be that my "natural leader" self failed so quickly (and so miserably).
The truth? I wasn't a good leader. In fact, I was a really bad leader. My philosophy was to discern what was right, and then expect people to get on board. Add a splash of charisma and then allow others the "joy" of following me…At least that's what I thought.
Turns out there is one major flaw with that belief (okay probably more than one, but go with me). This type of leadership is completely self-centered. But sadly, that was my leadership style–if you can even call that leadership.
People are different. They have many temperaments, personalities, gifts, and strengths. And while I thought I was perfect, and everyone should conform to my perfection…it turned out I was wrong.
Over the last 8 months there is one lesson about leadership that continually comes to mind:
1) Good leaders are others-centered
Good leaders don't manufacture little versions of themselves. They understand the unique gifts and talents of their teams, and envision a future state where each person’s gifts are fully utilized. Not just maximized individually, but maximized working in concert with one another. She masterfully intertwines their talents, strengthening the whole far greater than the part.
Imagine the maestro of an orchestra. While each musician places one instrument with many different notes, the maestro “plays” the musicians as one. As he highlights their talents, as one body, the music elevates beyond individual performance.
When leaders operate out of self-centeredness, followers will cease to be followers (just ask my pledge brothers or my World Race team). People will follow if they believe in where the team is going–and if that place is beneficial for them. It won't happen by accident. It takes an intentional effort to envision a compelling future, and then investing with vigor into your team.
