More Love

Leadership is a Choice

Feb 16, 2021

Thwack! After two days of practice, the sound of my arrow striking the bullseye was crisp and rewarding.

Step aside Katniss—there’s a new kid in town.

I turned toward my kids who would undoubtedly wish to bask in the glow of their beloved father’s achievement.

But they had wandered back inside, abandoning my dream of our becoming a family of expert archers.

My kids hadn’t asked to take up the sport—I foisted it upon them with the best intent.

In our world of work, we just can’t seem to prevent ourselves from doing the same thing.

We see a high performing salesperson, and we figure they can scale their success by becoming a sales manager.

We take our best coders, and we ordain them as software development managers.

When we choose our leaders—rather than letting them choose themselves—everybody loses.

Leadership is a big ask.

Becoming an authentic people leader requires:

1. Investing time and energy in the pursuit of self mastery
2. Developing meaningful relationships and inspiring others
3. Being ultimately accountable for delivering results

In my view, the title of “leader” is not given by an external authority—it is seized by the individual who is called to move this world with and through others.