On Leading with Greatness

We don’t often think of the typical workplace as a site of worship, but workplace-based worship is widespread among the religious and the non-religious alike. From the devout believer to the avowed atheist, many or even most of us worship power.

One pair of homonyms that directly relates to leadership and that consistently causes spelling angst is “principle” ending in “le” and “principal” ending in “al.” More critically, though, we also mix up the meaning of these words when it comes to leadership, thinking that “principal,” meaning the first and foremost, is more important than “principle,” meaning a rule or code.

I can offer any number of examples of bosses, people in leadership positions, unarguably the principal individuals, who are deeply unprincipled.

What does a person’s behavior suggest about their level of competence?

The most competent among us aren’t hyper-confident and are often riven with self-doubt, which you might not realize if you aren’t close to them or you actually are them. I’m not talking about imposter syndrome. The self-doubt a competent leader experiences is an entirely healthy and even necessary element of their competence.

"Hero” is an overused and much abused term. There’s even a concept called “heroic leadership.” (And now we are at the heart of the matter!)

Think about that phrase. What does it evoke for you? What image does it conjure?

Most leadership advice suggests that empathy is a key component to effective leadership, and I won’t disagree. Leaders empathize to improve their ability to communicate and to compromise. But…

Empathy is not inherently good. Empathy can be a component of morality, but it’s not moral in itself.

Have you ever considered the inherent value of taking action and getting things done? We sometimes refer to comic book heroes as “action heroes,” but do you think action is heroic in and of itself?

Sometimes it’s okay to break the rules. Sometimes it’s absolutely the right thing to do. Do you ever break the rules on purpose?

Have you noticed the recent change of seasons? I always feel inspired by the arrival of a new April to change things up myself. How about instead of writing about how awful bosses are, we take a look at how to be the best boss possible? After all, bosses are people too (at least in the biological sense).

So much information, and so little time to review it, which is to say nothing of comprehending and intelligently responding to it. We drift in a world awash in information, gulping it down as quickly as possible in hopes we don’t drown.

Yet, “leaders are readers,” or so they say. Leaders gain knowledge and a degree of understanding by guzzling information.

Why do the best leaders find it necessary to eschew comfort to pursue progress? It’s for the same reason that the best teachers challenge themselves while seeking to disrupt student complacency.