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The one word every Accidental Leader needs to know
There is a word that has been on my mind a lot lately when it comes to leadership - quality. It's a word that gets tossed around so flippantly that it has practically lost all meaning. You’ve heard it in strategy decks, seen it on mission statements, maybe even mumbled it yourself after a decent cup of coffee, but what is quality, really? Could you define it, and if you could, would your definition match anyone else’s?
Listen in as I spend a little bit of time poking at that question, not in a clean, tidy, here’s-your-five-step-framework kind of way but more like walking through fog with a flashlight. The word quality has been chewing on my brain, and I’m pulling in Robert M. Pirsig's books that have really transformed how I think about this - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila.
Quality isn’t just a rating or a checklist. It’s not even fully definable. It’s a feeling, something between the subject and the object. You sense it in a perfectly run meeting or in a Slack thread that just clicks. You also sense it when something’s off and you can’t quite put your finger on why.
As accidental leaders, we’re often handed static systems - processes, org charts, old habits, but what if your edge is actually in the change, the creativity, the “what if we tried this instead?” That’s what I’m exploring today - not necessarily answers but better questions.
If you have read all the books and sat through all the webinars and you’re still wondering what’s missing, then this might be the episode for you, but fair warning: it might raise more questions than it answers, but, again, maybe that’s the point!
Time Stamps:
[1:20] - The word quality is widely used yet rarely defined in a meaningful, shared way.
[4:09] - Quality is the intuitive harmony between subject and object, easier felt than defined or explained.
[6:57] - True leadership comes from balancing structure with creativity.
[9:17] - Quality can’t be clearly defined, only sensed and embodied through care, presence, and intentionality.
[12:44] - Recognize and pursue what feels high-quality to you; that's how accidental leaders grow into real ones.
[15:18] - Quality ultimately is not a finish line; it's the compass guiding leadership, intuition, and meaningful decisions.
[17:01] - Persig’s struggle to define quality reveals its depth and its power to transform your leadership!
Resources:
The Accidental Leader - Website
yournarketing.co
Bo McDonald on LinkedIn
Robert M. Pirsig - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values
Robert M. Pirsig - Lila: An Inquiry into Morals
View all episodes
By Bo McDonald
3.7
33 ratings
There is a word that has been on my mind a lot lately when it comes to leadership - quality. It's a word that gets tossed around so flippantly that it has practically lost all meaning. You’ve heard it in strategy decks, seen it on mission statements, maybe even mumbled it yourself after a decent cup of coffee, but what is quality, really? Could you define it, and if you could, would your definition match anyone else’s?
Listen in as I spend a little bit of time poking at that question, not in a clean, tidy, here’s-your-five-step-framework kind of way but more like walking through fog with a flashlight. The word quality has been chewing on my brain, and I’m pulling in Robert M. Pirsig's books that have really transformed how I think about this - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Lila.
Quality isn’t just a rating or a checklist. It’s not even fully definable. It’s a feeling, something between the subject and the object. You sense it in a perfectly run meeting or in a Slack thread that just clicks. You also sense it when something’s off and you can’t quite put your finger on why.
As accidental leaders, we’re often handed static systems - processes, org charts, old habits, but what if your edge is actually in the change, the creativity, the “what if we tried this instead?” That’s what I’m exploring today - not necessarily answers but better questions.
If you have read all the books and sat through all the webinars and you’re still wondering what’s missing, then this might be the episode for you, but fair warning: it might raise more questions than it answers, but, again, maybe that’s the point!
Time Stamps:
[1:20] - The word quality is widely used yet rarely defined in a meaningful, shared way.
[4:09] - Quality is the intuitive harmony between subject and object, easier felt than defined or explained.
[6:57] - True leadership comes from balancing structure with creativity.
[9:17] - Quality can’t be clearly defined, only sensed and embodied through care, presence, and intentionality.
[12:44] - Recognize and pursue what feels high-quality to you; that's how accidental leaders grow into real ones.
[15:18] - Quality ultimately is not a finish line; it's the compass guiding leadership, intuition, and meaningful decisions.
[17:01] - Persig’s struggle to define quality reveals its depth and its power to transform your leadership!
Resources:
The Accidental Leader - Website
yournarketing.co
Bo McDonald on LinkedIn
Robert M. Pirsig - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values
Robert M. Pirsig - Lila: An Inquiry into Morals