Learning before Leading

These last few months have been amazing and busy for me. In February I started a new job. Finally that perfect place in community development I'd been searching and preparing for for so long. But with anything new comes the inevitable feelings of stepping outside some boundaries. A new office, new coworkers, a new routine. Exciting and scary all at the same time.

So, the question I've been asking myself lately is "can you lead while you are learning?". Or perhaps the better way to ask it is "how can you lead even while you are learning?". Although I'm stretching and growing in new ways every day there are people looking to me to make effective decisions. Some days I feel like I've got way more questions than answers and I'm not sure I'll ever learn all there is to learn.

Here are some things that ring true for me right now:

1) Even leaders don't always have the answers.
2) If you don't know, admit it. People can smell B.S. a mile away. Then go find the answer!
3) Leaders never fear allowing others to have the spotlight. It builds the team.
4) Asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

I'm really grateful to be working with a group of people that lead in a thousand outstanding ways. Staff and volunteers alike amaze me with their passion and dedication. I've somehow managed to land in the middle of a great team of mentors, coaches and cheerleaders.

So, I'm soaking up this period of intense learning and growing. Watching people interact, leading and following, is a bit of a hobby of mine and I'm getting lots of great case studies! So, yes, there are effective ways to lead while you are learning. And sometimes allowing yourself to observe and learn is the best way to grow as a leader.

The Universe in a Grain of Sand

I LOVE Cirque du Soleil!! Their touring production "Ovo!" has been here in Houston recently and, of course, I couldn't miss it. Ovo is Portuguese for "egg".  All the players are different kinds of insects: a fly, ladybug, grasshoppers, ant, spiders, beetles and so on. It's exuberant, colorful and completely fantastic! And a creative leadership lesson is contained within as well.

While watching the antics of these insects unfold in front of me I was reminded that sometimes we need to look at things with a completely new perspective. Like the insects in our natural world that we pay little attention to, unless they are someplace we don't want them to be, there are worlds out there that we have little or no awareness of. Why not be inspired by the grace and skill of a spider weaving its web or by the strength and beauty of a grasshopper?

I was reminded that we each have our place. We each have our work to do and our energy to contribute to the greater good. And we each have the opportunity to contribute with joy and enthusiasm and love. Some of us will do it in colorful and splashy ways (like a butterfly) and some of us will do so in a more subdued and subtle way (like a walking stick), but all our gifts are needed. A sense of wonder while watching ants brings some good perspective to our daily lives and work.

I was also reminded that there is so much out there that we don't even notice, let alone understand. Life is a grand, infinite mystery! I think the beginning of true wisdom is the awareness of how much we don't know and watching this beautiful, fantastical depiction of the creepy crawly life was a great reminder that there is always more to experience and play with.

So go get creative and lay an egg!

When You Give You Lead

I recently heard the phrase "when you give you lead" and it resonated with me so deeply I've not been able to get it out of my head for weeks. The phrase was spoken by Publisher of the Houston Defender Sonceria "Sonny" Messiah-Jiles, a trailblazer in the business of African-American newspapers. She has certainly been an example of leading by giving and I've been thinking about how to put that into action in my own life.

The first layer of this for me is that giving is positive and proactive. True leadership is also positive and proactive. By giving to what matters to you, to what you are passionate about you are leading yourself and the energy of your money, time and talents in that direction. Quite often by setting this example of leadership by giving you will find others attracted to lead by giving in the same direction. Soon a real impact is being made.

The next layer is about being really conscious of where I elect to give. I recently left the for-profit business world and have gone to work for a non-profit. Over the last few years many people have asked me if I was interested in doing this and I always knew that I would have to be passionate about the mission before I could consider it. I'm very grateful that my passion and this opportunity crossed paths at the right time. I am now more thoughtful about every place I put my time and my money because I know the deep and broad impact that a committed donor and volunteer can have on an organization.

Finally the act of giving should be a joyful act without expectation of a certain reward or outcome. And leadership is the same. When we are called to lead the most joyful way to do so it to let go of our idea of how we will be rewarded or compensated for the energy we devote. When we apply our gifts with the right intention we are always repaid beyond our deepest imagining.

So I wholeheartedly agree with Ms. Messiah-Jiles. Yes! Giving is leading. And conscious, thoughtful giving is an important part of ethical leadership. Tell me how giving gives you joy and is an act of leadership!

Leadership L.O.V.E.

Happy (almost) Valentine's Day! I'm not usually a big fan of "Hallmark Holidays" and Valentine's Day has become one of the biggest, in my opinion. I love flowers, chocolate and jewelery as much as any female but find it disheartening that our husbands and lovers feel pressured to make a gesture of affection simply because of an arbitrary date on the calendar. Give me one spontaneous bouquet or a lifetime of selfless love over a box of chocolates on February 14th any time!

But the holiday has spurred my thinking around how love factors into effective and genuine leadership. If we remember that love is not always of the romantic variety but is a universal emotion that expresses a concern and respect for our fellow humans and the creatures we share this planet with then we can easily make the leap to studying how love impacts leadership. I would even risk saying that the best leaders are those who work from a place of loving intention with the highest good of all in their hearts.

So, for fun, here is how I see leadership love in action:

L is for loyalty. A truly loving leader is loyal to those who she leads. She considers what is best for them and acts accordingly. A leader that is loyal will inspire loyalty in return.

O is for ownership. Anyone who is not 100% vested in a company or cause cannot lead from a place of love. Does that mean the leader doesn't see room for improvements or changes? Absolutely not! But a true leader "owns" what they lead. It is part of their DNA and they wouldn't have it any other way.

V is for volunteer. A volunteer is a person who offers themselves for service without obligation to do so. This speaks to real leadership love which is servant leadership. A servant leader knows that you must serve those you lead, walk the walk, and be willing to be down in the trenches from time to time. That is love in action.

E is for enthusiasm. From the Greek "to be filled with God", enthusiasm is the result of letting joy flow through you into the work you do. A leader that is passionate and enthusiastic allows the unbelievable and unattainable to be both believable and attainable. "Miracles" happen in groups led by the enthusiastic leader.

So there really isn't a big leap from love to leadership. I think the two fit neatly together and that love should be truly an indispensable tool for a leader. What do you think?