By Terry Stafford
When one attains a level of success in their chosen field, they often grow into the title of manager, supervisor, director, and so on. The term most often used is leadership. Someone new to one of these roles may have a preconceived notion as to what it means to be a leader—the one who assigns the work, the one who organizes teams and develops or enforces procedures. In a more blue-collar setting, they may simply be The Boss who gets to tell people what to do. But in its purest sense, leadership isn’t any of these things.
LEADERSHIP IS LISTENING
Real leaders are leaders with or without the titles mentioned above. They are often looked to for answers and direction in spite of those charged with the responsibility—those who people want to work for. Often, the boss gives direction and walks out of the room, and then everyone looks to the real leader to set the tone. How do these leaders get to this place?
Even in the Bible, real leaders rose to their station because they were compassionate. They listened to God, and they listened to those around them who needed their guidance.
Even as children go
When I was a kid, my friends and I often played in the woods behind my house building tree houses or forts from broken limbs off of dead trees. There was always a sense that somebody needed to be the boss. It always seemed to be between a close friend and me. More often than not, the group wanted me to be the boss. Of course, I felt good about it, but it wasn’t until much later that I understood why. I listened. Rick wanted to tell everyone what to do and how to do it. I was more of a consensus kind of guy. Even then, I knew others might have better ideas than I did.
Hopefully, you aren’t the smartest person you know
That attitude has followed me throughout my adulthood, even into my days as a senior project manager at NASA. There are two key sayings that I keep with me always. First, surround yourself with people smarter than you, and second, if you’re the smartest guy in the room, you’re in the wrong room. Listen. It works.
LEADERSHIP IS LEARNING
A key ingredient of success during my days as a project manager was a passion for lifelong learning. When I came across managers who seemingly knew it all, I avoided them like the plague. I think NASA learned their lesson over the years. A know-it-all will get you in serious trouble.
Write it down
I keep a journal. I used to keep thoughts and ideas on my computer, and still do on occasion when I dump things into Evernote. But the act of writing has a special connection to my brain. When I learn the big lessons, I jot them down. Never stop learning. It seems like I read somewhere that If you stop learning, you die.
LEADERSHIP IS LOVING
Love is an unspoken secret ingredient in leadership. The word wasn’t in NASA’s vocabulary, so don’t get me wrong. But when you love what you do, and you love working with the people you serve, that’s how they know you are the leader. They want to follow. They want the joy you have. Who wants to follow a grumpy old boss? He’s not a leader. He’s just the boss.
Loving is joy
Of course, we know life is never all about fun and success. God never promises happiness. Stephen Covey said we have to carry that sunshine around with us. But Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would know His joy made full. I’ve always loved the image of Jesus pointing to me and telling me that I’ll know His joy.
LEADERSHIP IS LEGACY
Legacy? Really? Dave Ramsey often says, “Live, love, learn, and leave a legacy.” A true leader leaves a legacy. How is that? When one good leader touches the hearts of others, they learn how real leadership looks and feels. It is often said that people won’t remember you for what you did for them but will remember you for how you made them feel. If you make people feel important, they will pay it forward.
It’s not an inheritance
Leaving a legacy is often confused with creating something that will physically live on forever. But a true legacy is merely planting the seeds with which God has gifted you. When you rest your head on the pillow at night, you know you can feel good about the day’s work. You can rest on your legacy as a “good and faithful servant.”
