My personal journey in countless leadership roles has been a
tumultuous one. I have had successes and
also some failures. I’ve learned a lot
about myself during a 40-year journey.
Some of the lessons were hard to take.
We’re all born with certain talents. Some of us – including me – had the good
fortune to have a family that provided lots of positive feedback or validation
for those talents. Mine were music and
math.
School provides us the opportunity to develop skills so we
can apply our talents. If we have a
passion for the pursuit of excellence in those areas, they become our singular
purpose. If my musical talent was the equal
of Paul McCartney or Lady Gaga, I may have chosen music as my singular pursuit. But my talent didn’t rise to that level and I
gave it up when I was 14 years old.
Math also fell by the wayside. I was an ‘A’ student through my
studies at the US Naval Academy.
However, I never pursued the subject beyond that level. I simply had no passion for it.
With my diploma and my officer’s commission in hand, off I
went to a US Navy ship. There I
discovered that I had a talent for leadership. I am not bragging when I say
this. I am certainly not alone in this
talent; there are millions who have it and I never rose to a very high level in
any organization of note.
The military provides a great opportunity to learn. You are handed more responsibility at age 22
than any other organization will allow.
You learn to find your strengths and understand where you need
help. You learn to forge trust with your
subordinates and your peers. You develop
the sense to ask good questions before deciding your next step. You learn to perform under pressure and
accomplish goals with scarce resources.
You also learn to solve problems when a plan goes awry.
The military also gives you a sense of purpose. When I was a midshipman, we often quoted
Woodrow Wilson, who used the phrase “make the world safe for democracy” when he
asked Congress for a declaration of war. It may sound trite and you may object to its
message. But, we were young and
idealistic.
When I left the military, my focus was on making a living so
I could support a family. Leadership
skills were simply what I had to offer the job market. And, employers were lined up to take advantage
of it. But, I lost a sense of purpose
when I was handed my honorable discharge.
Writing in Forbes, Matt Myatt reminds us “purpose is the one
thing all great leaders have in common….
Purpose fuels passion and work ethic….
The best leaders recognize a common purpose, shared values, and aligned
vision are the hallmarks of any great organization.”
The hard truth is that leadership, in and of itself, is not purpose;
it’s a tool like any other. It’s a
useful tool in many business situations and good leaders are rewarded for their
skill if they also achieve business and financial results.
Financial rewards are great!
But, there are many situations in life and even in business that require
something else – empathy, for example -- or serenity.
My current work at Vistage, a CEO membership organization,
has provided me with a sense of purpose unlike any in my experience. I work with a small group of business owners
who strive to do better and be better. To get better business performance, you
must be prepared to go deep. You need to
be pushed out of your comfort zone. You
need to be challenged at a very personal level.
When I started this work, I was prepared for the intellectual
challenge but not the emotional challenge. I had to be pushed out of my comfort
zone, too. I had to be challenged at a
very personal level to make it work.
There is some magic at work when our group gathers for its
monthly meeting. We challenge each other,
for sure. We also cajole, share, bare
our souls and commit to act. One of our
group often says that he “can’t have these conversations anywhere else”.
In this work, I have found purpose. To connect…
to help… to give.
WHO WILL LEAD?
