There’s a new kind of leadership needed. One that rests on the willingness of people to follow, instead of the strength of authority. One that commands respect and reflection instead of blind obedience. One that works for all people involved: those who follow, those who are affected by the actions of the group, those that observe it. I have written a lot about these issues in past posts, but this time I want to take a structured approach by touching on each of the three main concepts in my Aspirations Theory and how they relate to leadership. So, starting with this post I will be exploring how to lead in a way that brings out each of the aspirations. A six part series with two posts on each aspiration should spark a good conversation! The first one will be my reflections on the subject and the second on a few action steps to start moving in that direction. Let’s get started with transcendence this week…I can’t wait to read your comments!
We all truly want to leave something behind when we are gone. Transcending this existence is a human drive that is at the very heart of the creation of great works of art, feats of engineering, systems and proceses that make work easier or more effective. Great leaders know this. They understand the connection between what they are doing now and what will come to pass long after they are gone. Though nobody, by definition, gets to experience the extent to which her work transcends, it makes for a very different kind of leader. One who is focused not only on the immediate results, but on the lasting effect of his own actions and those of his followers.
Sadly, with the overly focused slant on productivity that we inherited from the industrial era and the financial pressures of today, many leaders in organizations, government and communities have forgotten to seek transcendence in their everyday actions. They have grown weary of thinking into the future for fear of losing out in the present. And our way of life, our livelihoods and, quite candidly, the meaningfulness of our productivity have suffered. So much so, that we are living an unsustainable lifestyle that will create nothing but a legacy of dire consequences left for future generations to take care of.
The first way of transcending for any leader is leaving an inspiring mark in the people that have chosen to follow! A seed that will be nurtured by their passion and commitment to a shared purpose. A drive that will lead them to become, in turn, leaders of themselves and others. Leaders of the same brand, that will transcend the time together and leave the seed for others to nurture and grow into future generations.
A leader should always be asking herself: What am I creating for the future? What shall I leave behind? If the only questions she has are about the present and the bottom line, she is missing the point of leadership altogether. And there is no worse let down than finally understanding that your whole struggle was in vain and that the results of last quarter have not been enough to make a difference. So how can a leader strike a balance between present and future? How can a vision be kept alive and shared enough to create a lasting legacy? Those are the issues we will discuss in the next post. And I hope your comments here will feed into it. So what do you say? How can you lead for transcendence?
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- Leading “You” Begins with Leading Me (randomactsofleadership.com)
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- Lead Yourself First! (e-quidam.com)
