A constructive leader is someone who builds others, not just themselves. It’s someone who creates ownership in a team to move the organization in the right direction. But a constructive leader is also a mother who lifts her child up, supports them in any way she can, and builds on their creativity. If you think about it, examples of great leaders are everywhere around us; we just need to know what to look for.

In this week’s episode, McKay talks about the main principles of constructive leadership. He starts the episode by telling us an inspiring story about a young boy and his rise to fame. Thanks to the incredible support of his mother and his enormous talent for filmmaking, this boy grew up to become one of the most successful people in the industry, M. Night Shyamalan. The secret sauce to his success? Constructive parents. Then, McKay shares a few other success stories and phenomenal lessons on constructive leadership, from taking ownership like a goose in a flock to borrowing important dates like the Yankees. He ends the episode by reflecting on the most vital aspect of constructive leadership and that is your mindset to lead and construct.

The Finer Details of This Episode:

• The success story of M. Night Shyamalan
• The importance of having supportive and constructive parents
• The most important principles of constructive leadership
• Three essential ingredients for building ownership on a team
• Borrowing important dates like the Yankees
• Building the mindset to lead and construct

Quotes:

“His mother’s influence was momentous in his life… The interesting thing is his mother was not a filmmaker. Far from it, and she did more than support, she helped magnify his passion and creativity.”

“How do successes like this happen? How do you construct an M. Night Shyamalan who is bold enough to spend a year on a screenplay and bring the questions he had as a young Hindu boy in a Catholic grammar school about life and death to the screen in such unique and amazing ways? How does that happen? A mother, and father, who were constructive.”

“There is power in being constructive. And…there are great results waiting for the leader who leads by being constructive.”

“When you are constructive as a leader, you build something other than yourself.”

“The constructive leader believes that to get the organization or family to where it needs to go, they must develop the people who make up that organization. They will work through others and focus on the building of others to reach their goals.”

“Talk is cheap. Action makes all the difference. When you are trying as a parent to be constructive with your children, act as much as you can, not to do things for them, but to provide opportunities for them, to encourage them and to assist them in their self-leadership.”

Links:

McKay Christensen Homepage