Leadership is Not Predictable

Leadership is not predictable.

Some of the people who work with me do not see the selves as leaders, and do not really want to be leaders because they think leadership is boring.

They have been told that leadership is a set of skills that will give them the tools to they need to deal with the situations they might face as a leader. They can learn and practice these skills so they will be prepared for anything they might be asked to do.

Now, I enjoy being prepared. I also believe in the power of practicing and developing skills.

Leadership is more than being ready for what might come next. It is more than having a system in place to find and plug in the correct response. That would be predictable, and get boring.

Leadership is engaging. First of all, it is engaging yourself. The leaders who inspire me are people who recognize and appreciate their own core values and vision for leadership. They spend time getting to know who they are in the deepest possible ways.

Leaders also engage the people around them. Their trues selves connect to the true selves with whom they work and live, and share the values and vision that draw people toward living and working together well. Leaders relate more authentically and  openly, and create more authentic community.

Through their communities, leaders engage the rest of the world. Leaders establish an environment that nurtures community and develops new ways to put values and vision into practice.

Leadership that grows out from core values and vision is alive and healthy. When we come together around values, there is a flexibility and creativity that is not predictable, and definitely not boring.

Is your leadership boring?

Do you think leadership is predictable?

[Image by greeblie]