If serving is above you, leadership is beyond you. Everyone talks about leadership as if it’s a badge of power to be worn, a flag of significance to wave, or a title to stroke your own ego with. Depending on the books you read, the podcasts you consume, or the teachings you stumble upon, you’ll hear a slightly different iteration of it. Most have a similar message with undertones of ego that paint a misconstrued picture of what leadership truly means. Leadership isn’t to assert dominance, it’s to be a servant.
As I go through my own experiences and learn to express what I silently observe, my interpretation of what leadership means evolves. My understanding of what “being the person means” deepens along with my appreciation for the responsibility that comes with it.
We are all leaders in some iteration in our lives. In our families, social circles, workplace, and even our local communities. Everyday we interact with people and depending on how we show up moment to moment determines someone's experience with us. Are we loving and kind? Leaving people better than we found them. Or are we short-tempered and inconvenienced? Leaving people uncertain of where they stand with us.
We underestimate the influence we have on the people around us, both in profound and simple ways. The way we smile at someone from across the room or we pause for 3 seconds in the doorway to make sure it doesn’t close on the person behind us. It’s in the moments where we message someone after a meeting to check in because we noticed their voice cracked when they spoke about something they felt challenged with. Or the extra five minutes we stay on the phone with someone who’s rambling, even after you said goodnight; perhaps they are just lonely and need a bit extra today.
Leadership isn't about titles, accolades, or what looks best on your resume. It's not about outcomes met, meetings completed, or performance plans reviewed. It's much deeper than that. Leadership is about humanity.
Leaders are builders. They are the builders of people, organizations, and teams.
Strong leadership can turn the timid into the courageous, the reluctant into the willing, and the indecisive into the committed. Their love turns hatred into tenderness, rage into peace, and fear into bravery.
Leadership is about people. Yet we cannot lead others until we learn how to love and lead ourselves.
