I went to see the action film San Andreas starting The Rock
last weekend and cannot stop thinking about it. Surprisingly it is his
character that has stayed on my mind. Wow, what a leader. In the movie he is a
veteran and a rescue helicopter pilot who has extraordinary skills well versed
in flying planes, sky diving, and driving cars and boats. Sure his mission
eventually became self-serving when he went to rescue his daughter instead of
other people who needed help, but that is what makes him a leader in my eyes.
He did not wait for someone to show up and pin a title on him and say you are a
leader now, it was simply within him. You can look at movies and see seemingly
ordinary characters and start to identify those with leadership and those
without it. Because you see the story unfold from beginning to end this is the
easiest place to start. Then look at real world examples. There are wonderful,
talented people out there every day in our world taking initiative and being a
leader. Some have titles like those who startup companies and become CEOs and
there are also those who remain relatively anonymous and volunteer their time,
energy, abilities, and passions.
My personal attitude of a leader has changed in my lifetime,
largely due to pursuing a Masters in Leadership. I have a great admiration for
those who are able to bring people together and accomplish great things. I am
sure I had a rose colored naivety about leadership because sometimes I became
disappointed that a teacher or an adult leader that I had squandered their
opportunity and dropped the ball on a class project. I just assumed that those
who were leaders had it completely together and would always be there for
others and wouldn’t let me down. I used to think if you were to leader it meant
you were the A plus out of all of the A plus qualifying members. When we
believe leaders are superheroes it puts a lot of pressure on very human people
and it opens us up to want to criticize them for not being perfect.
I think a lot of my beliefs came from my father who was
taught by his parents and generationally Baby Boomers really believed in
putting blood, sweat, and tears in for the company. Millennials, my generation,
see how our parents and grandparents have spent their countless hours in the
office sometimes without any retribution and at times when the company turns
its back on aging employees and forces them into early retirement or even lets
them go in the midst of their prime. It is hard not to have the attitude that
it is all about serving me first and an organization second. This creates a lot
of entitlement and perhaps why there is a changing trend in attitudes.
When we see these leaders in fancy suits, with luxury cars
and access to private planes that jet off to vacations most will never have in
their lifetime mess up there is a Marie Antoinette-like response that we the
people want to eat cake and it is off with their head! The internet age has
made every mood highly visible. Not to say Britney Spears is a leader by any
stretch of the imagination, but this is one of the first celebrities where the
boundaries were pushed to know every move of this person. This has since become
to norm. Nothing is entirely a secret anymore. This extends to those in government
and private leadership to athletes and actors. We even keep tabs on our colleagues
through social media. I think this also shapes why there have been changes to
the perception of leaders. I looked up my house on Google Earth and can see
details of my life on full display for anyone with the internet to see. The
game has completely changed and everyone is on notice.
Obolensky (2014) quotes Lau Tzu’s definition of leadership:
The worst leader is one that lies
and is despised; not much better is one that leads using oppression and fear; a
little better is the leader who is visible, loved and respected; however, the
best leader is one whom the people hardly knows exists, leaving them happy to
say, once the aim is achieved, ‘We did it ourselves’. (p. 6)
This brings me back to The Rock and the Leadership Gap.
Leaders can be from any walk of life, title or no title. To me a leader is
someone who is an example, who helps others with betterment, and energizes
others. Though I am not a manager, director, or someone who gets paid to be in
a leadership position I am still a leader. I work with adult students and part
of what I do is to bring my best self to work every day and give all I can do
help solve problems and get my students to reach their goals. If I have five
hundred students admitted to the University that belong to me, my desire is for
all five hundred to earn their diploma and even better would be to see them in
their cap and gown. I might be considered an anonymous leader but I am still a
leader. I have responsibilities that I carry with me whether I am at on the
clock or at home. You do not check out for the day on being a leader, it is who
you are through and through, day in and day out and not just because the
internet is watching. It is the mark of real leadership.
Many companies are specialists in their industry whether it
is medicine to fashion. I have worked at several small companies that have no
form of structure and the leadership lacks in something to be desired. It is
not uncommon to believe leadership is super easy and you innately know what to
do. I think one of the reasons there is an explosion of study is because
leaders and followers feel a void and realize that things could be done better
and there could be more fulfillment for both parties in the process. Seeking
the structured knowledge that exists can only benefit in closing the leadership
gap.
References:
Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex Adaptive Leadership: Embracing Paradox and Uncertainty (2nd ed.). Gower.
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