Leadership is like spring. Leaders cultivate, plant, and encourage growth. Leaders plow new ground.
Leadership melts the ice and snow that have accumulated and throws off the weight of what we have carried around all winter.
The leaders who inspire me open windows and let in fresh air and new light.
Our organizations, and our lives, are like houses that are closed tight to keep out the wind and the snow. We insulate ourselves from the outside world, trying to hold onto the warmth we have and keep out the fearful cold.
The challenge of keeping shutters tightly closed is that it makes it difficult to see what is outside. People who stay indoors for long months and develop “cabin fever.” Leaders need to open a window, let in some light, and look for opportunities.
The leaders who have helped me the most, who have helped me appreciate the leader I am, opened windows for me. The person who told me that I was a good writer, the woman who told me that she trusted me. They helped me see opportunities.
When we lead, we help recognize and create new opportunities. Leaders see qualities and abilities that others view as weaknesses and recognize the benefits and skills they make possible. Leaders appreciate the value of people that others see as challenges or liabilities.
The insight we bring to the people around us, and to our own qualities, is the key that opens the locked windows to opportunity.
The leaders who inspire me find the value that others have discarded. They open windows to opportunity, they let the light shine in the darkness.
We open windows for each other, and encourage things to grow.
What windows of opportunity are you opening today?
Where are the opportunities you are creating for people?
[Image by kevin dooley]
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In