When was the last time, if ever, you asked yourself the question:
“Why do I lead?”
Notice I did not ask how you lead or what you lead, I asked WHY you lead. What is the ultimate outcome or purpose that drives you to carry on despite the many challenges that accompany leadership?
If you don’t know the answer to that question, maybe it’s time you put some thought into it. The answer matters because it will manifest itself in the choices you make about priorities and the ways you interact with the human beings you encounter every day. The answer matters because without a strong, internal compass to guide us, we easily, and often subtly, drift off course. And when leaders drift off course, the consequences can be…well “Titanic”.
Another reason to know your “why” is so that you can lose your title without losing yourself. Think for a moment about how you would feel, if tomorrow, you were removed from your position of authority. Would you cease to be a leader until someone gives you a new title? Leadership is not defined by what you are responsible for, it is defined by who you are. If your leadership identity is in the role then you will be lost when the role comes to an end. As all things do.
Your “why” will give you courage to carry on. Name a great leader. I bet they faced adversity. And I bet you know their “why”.
Consider this…your “why” may be the only reason people will actually allow you to influence them. People have a keen sense for what the underlying motives are in leaders. Over time they do a pretty good job of figuring out what you are really about. If your “why” is grounded in love, service and mutual success then there is a pretty good chance you will be heard. Getting that next promotion? Not so much.
So why do you lead?
I lead to improve lives. That’s my “why”. It works for me because it always applies no matter the context or circumstance. I’ve greatly simplified it over the years but that has always been the core theme. I don’t always live up to it but I always come back to it. I make sure to let people know what I’m about. Your why may read much differently or contain a lot more words and ideas. There is no right answer. There is only your answer. The important thing…
Is that you have an answer.
As an exercise I recommend you get a notebook and write as many endings to this stem as you can think of, as fast as you can, without stopping or judging. Read back through the list to find a core theme that resonates with your heart and your mission.
I lead because…
Now you have a “why” that is bigger than any job, title or opinion. A “why” that is bigger…than you. Care to share?
Purpose is the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s needs. – Frederick Buechner
[...] beautiful comment from Julia Katsivo in response to the post “Do You Know Why You Lead?” inspired what I am about to [...]
[...] http://elumn8.me/2013/01/28/do-you-know-why-you-lead/ [...]
I always thought I was a follower but the older I get, the more I realize I’m a leader and always have been. I want to encourage and bring out the best in those that I lead and to support causes that benefit people. That will make me feel that my life has made a difference.
Thank you Susan – that is a beautiful insight. That second sentence really struck me as a fantastic way to describe your leadership why for others and that last sentence is the leadership why for you. Thanks so much for sharing!
I lead because I enjoy it. It is challenging. It is hard work. I love helping people by teaching them and coaching them. By leading people I can help them and in turn it helps me. bit.ly/10chqLC
Great perspective Daryl…leadership is about people and there is nothing more challenging than the day to day process of working with unique human beings to try and inspire and influence positive change.
I agree, the knowing why is critical. This is true in very aspect of our lives. If we don’t attach a reason to our actions, they fall flat. Attach the compelling purpose to it and little can stand in our way.
Very true – so many areas of life where this applies. Great point Suzie. I like to emphasize leadership because it impact the lives of so many others but then do does family and community… thanks for joining the conversation!
Without the WHY there is no need to figure out the how. So many companies and individuals concentrate on how to do something and when they should do something but overlook the why they do something in the first place…Thanks for this post Scott…
I always know WHY I read your blog.
Dave
Appreciate you Dr. Moore. :) Thanks so much for joining the conversation and for your kind comment.
[...] When was the last time, if ever, you asked yourself the question: “Why do I lead?” Notice I did not ask how you lead or what you lead, I asked WHY you lead. What is the ultimate outcome or purpose … [...]
Loved it! Just loved it – very important and timely questions for the new year. Helps bring or keep focus as we pioneer our way through these unpaved roads called life.
For me the answer would be that it’s my nature. As I walk, I nudge, pick-up, lift up, lift off, slap backs and give hugs to those who need a little hope to find the way on their own road again.
That’s a beautiful “why” Julia – I love it because it is fun and simple. Leadership is really built on thousands of small acts over time. We often talk about the big events but your “why” really shows up in every moment, every interaction. Imagine the impact you are having on the world with every one of those positive impressions. Thanks so much for sharing!
I love the question WHY. Like why have I not thought of this before? I lead because I believe our children deserve schools to be something better than they currently are, A good video if you like WHY is Simon Sinek’s Start with WHY – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4
Love your WHY Kyle – great mission. Thank you for sharing and for bringing another resource to the conversation.
Reblogged this on Leadership Advantage and commented:
A wonderful thought provoking post from Scott_elumn8.
I lead because I am called to change lives and help others achieve their success.
What’s Better Today?
Thank you John! Appreciate you sharing my post and for your encouraging comments. Also appreciate you sharing your why. I think it would be amazing if we could get a few hundred leaders to share their why and then publish that back out in another blog or through some other forum. What a great encouragement and community building experience that would be!
Great thought provoking question. This one is going to take much more thought to come to a solid answer. I think this is something that changes and evolves. It is an ever changing thing, hopefully always growing….
Absolutely. It is something that evolves over the course of our lives as we encounter new experiences,ideas and people. For me the core has always been the same but the interpretation or how I applied it at specific points in my journey has certainly changed. Definitely something worthy of mediation and I believe the time spent will serve you well. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
For me, it is more “why not?” It is not a flippant response, but one based on my life. My life needs a leader, and I am the best person to do that from with and outward. Why I lead is because I am here.
We need to embrace our life and work with a leader attitude and all the good things that this brings with. It is a mindset, and we need embrace it.
Great post, Scott!
Jon I would have expected you to provide a brilliant alternative perspective. After all you are the master of “UN”. :) I can clearly see how this perspective would resonate with many people. In fact I can say that my life called me to leadership as much as any choices I made. Thanks so much for contributing to this conversation.
I lead because I was made to lead. Each of us is. Some are called to lead a multitude to lofty heights, others called to lead a single soul to a brighter day. But at some time and place each of us is called. And we must answer and step forward to lead if we are to find the fullness of who we are meant to be.
Thank you, Scott, for your insights and prodding question.
Thanks Daniel – it is true that for many leaders it is a calling. Sometimes thinking about our why can be a way to connect to that calling and put words to it so that we can speak it out and make it real to ourselves and to others. Thanks for stopping by and for sharing your insight.
Another great post Scott. And a great question.
Motive is everything. If a person only leads because they feel it gives them power OVER others. They’ve missed the boat. If a person MUST become a leader because that is the only way they can feel important or feel good about themselves. They’ve missed the boat.
Entirely.
Although I’m interested in the topic of leadership and use the word. My personal philosophy on leadership has evolved over the years. I won’t expound on it here. However I will say this and something you addressed in your post.
The ‘essence’ of leadership has absolutely NOTHING to do with position or titles. It has EVERYTHING to do with who you ARE. If the motives can’t exactly be ‘seen’ to the naked eye, they can still eventually be ‘felt’ in the way a person carries themselves or in the nature of the things they speak or write over time.
And there’s nothing more dangerous then a scared ‘leader’ in a position of power. They tend to leave a pile of wounded people in their wake. (or dead in the case of some national leaders)
Thanks again for sharing Scott.
Great additional thoughts here Samantha, thank you. I have tended the “wounded” in the aftermath of insecure and ungrounded “leaders”. It’s not pretty. It takes a long time to rebuild trust. Having a solid why that is grounded in the right values and universal principles puts our leadership out of our heads where it is subject to all of our fears and phobias and into our hearts where it can remain true.
Yes Scott. Your word choices of insecure and ungrounded more accurately reflect what I mean more then ‘scared’. We all experience fears in life. What I had in mind when I was typing was a Twitter exchange from yesterday. Alice tweeted about how fear is at the deepest root of hate. And anyone, an official leader or not who brings harm to others with verbal or physical violence, lies, etc is acting in hatred/fear of another person. It’s a reflection of deep insecurity and disconnect with the internal self. And the behaviors are often a projection of the persons own deep insecurity and lack of self-worth.
Which reminds me of a brief but powerful Sufi tale: ‘When a pick pocket sees a saint, all’s he can see are the pockets’.
Note well, I don’t mean to be gender specific here. It’s simply how it is originally stated. And it could be used as an analogy here in the case of the insecure/ungrounded leader. Their own character may be that of a thief (pickpocket/or worse) and when they view other people, they don’t see the true value of the other person. Instead, they view them based on their own character and nature, and/or only for what they can ‘get’ from the other person. (Hitler is a perfect example as he could not see the true value of human life)
I love what you said about shifting leadership more to be from the heart rather then the head. Although we do need both. Head without heart definitely doesn’t work very well though.
Hi Samantha I am intrigued about your statement of a “scared” leader in a position of power. I do agree with you that fear can make leaders in power intimidate the team and that is nonproductive. It’s like running a race always looking behind you. A good leader will empower his or her team. The leader will help them reframe a problem or problems in new ways. He or she will also challenge them intellectually. He or she is also sharing ownership of the problem to the team but being brave enough to take responsibility. Being a leader is not easy and can be risky but leader do take risks. Please check out my leadership blog. bit.ly/10chqLC
Insightful look at the power and importance of knowing your why when it comes to leading Scott. One of the things we must be mindful of also though is to not judge our why. It’s never about how big or small but rather about meaning and purpose. Sometimes I think we get lost int he lofty ideals of leadership and forget that while our particular heartfelt “why” may never turn us into a Martin Luther King or Ghandi to the world, it does matter just as significantly to the people whose lives we touch through our leadership. Besides, who knows who we might become if we fully embrace our why in the here and now.
I love that last statement Susan – thanks for your kind words and for joining in this discussion. It does matter to the people whose lives we touch. And leadership is about them.