Aaron Butler
Inception of Leadership
The concept of leadership, a timeless notion, can be traced back to the earliest of times. A notable example is found in Exodus chapter 18, where Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law, laid out the first roadmap to effective leadership, a testament to the enduring nature of this discipline and having an awareness of limitations:
Verse NIV 19-21:23: You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people— men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain— and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and ten. Verse 23: If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.
Effective Leadership
After spending 20 years in leadership roles, I’ve often pondered why many institutions suffer from a leadership vacuum. The saying that people don’t quit jobs; they quit their managers still holds true today. In 2022, GoodHire surveyed 3000 American workers and found that 82% of workers would consider leaving their jobs because of a bad manager. How can a concept that has existed for thousands of years still result in people feeling poor leadership exists in their work life? The answer is simple: The Journey to Leadership is a continuous process that demands consistent training and focus. We, as humans, are not perfect, and our human nature often detours the journey to perfect leadership. But the pursuit of perfect leadership fuels the journey to leadership, a journey that many of us can relate to.
Journey to Leadership
As with every journey, you must know the appropriate route. Dr. Nathaniel Branden, an American psychotherapist and writer known for his work in the psychology of self-esteem, once said, “The first step towards change is awareness.” As a manager, you must be aware of how and why you lead the way you lead. Early in my career, I was an Assistant manager of a small team of 6 people and reported to a manager on-site with us. This manager deeply understood our work and knew how to drive results; however, he was not always pleasant to be around. He was quick to anger when an employee made a mistake or did not have the answers to specific problems. One such situation led to him kicking a glass door and shattering the window.
The glass door remained broken for over a week. It served as a reminder that we failed him as employees. It was a turning point in the entire team’s relationship with him because he did not apologize or address the circumstances. His focus was to make sure it was conveyed that he pushed the door with his foot and didn’t kick the door in anger. One day, as we prepared to leave, several employees confided their concerns to me, prompting me to initiate a difficult conversation with our manager.
That conversation was difficult at that point in my career. Still, I discovered that this manager was incredibly unaware of how he made others feel and how his actions were negative. He didn’t think it was a big deal that he lashed out because of an employee’s mistake. The mistake was not fatal and was easily fixed, but it was an inconvenience for him. There are several other examples of him screaming at employees and lamenting out loud about our shortcomings.
This manager’s lack of awareness was glaring. He was oblivious to how his actions were perceived and how his employees felt. As our performance numbers plummeted, he couldn’t comprehend the reason behind our poor performance. His response was more anger and mistreatment. On one occasion, I asked if he ever reflected on his day and how it went. He dismissed the idea, saying, “Once a day ends here, I put it out of my mind and never think about it again.” This incident highlighted the crucial role of daily reflection in leadership development, a step he was clearly missing. His lack of self-awareness had a profound negative impact on our team, underscoring the importance of this aspect in leadership.
He needed to include a critical step in his Journey to Leadership: daily reflection. To be self-aware and perceptive of others, you must spend time in daily reflection. There are countless ways to reflect on the day, your actions, and the actions of others. Some people pray, some meditate, some listen to music, and some exercise, but all must take the time to reflect on their actions. Emotions are natural and get the best of us, but it is in our best interest to understand where those emotions came from and how to control them for next time. As I said at the start of this blog, no one is perfect; acknowledging that lack of perfection requires you, especially as a leader, to reflect on where you may have been most human. Daily reflection is not just a suggestion; it’s a necessity in the journey to leadership.
At the AWARENESS segment of the Journey to Leadership, you should focus on:
- Self-Awareness
- Perception
- Daily Reflection
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