The first few pages of Discover Your True North are a preface describing the remarkable legacy of Warren Bennis. It is said that as one of the great pioneers of the field of leadership he rejected the notion that leaders are born with certain traits. In that keeping he wrote “The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born––that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.” This quote recognizes the ever-evolving nature of leadership and the realization that certain qualities may be developed over time.
These ever-famous words by Warren Bennis are ones which I have a great connection with. My leadership style and philosophy is one that is deeply rooted in my life experience. Parts from my observations, other from my victories, and more often than not some of the strongest lessons have been learned in defeat. The way one handles failure and adversity I believe is infinitely more telling than how he or she handles success. I view my leadership plan, very much like I view my life, as a continuous journey. One without a particular end point and perhaps without a definitive beginning. Leaders who are truly effective are ones who continuously refine and redefine their mission, themselves, and their organization to meet a continuously changing and ever complex organizational environment.
It is no longer enough for a leader to merely pick a direction for an organization and hope that the employees tasked with carrying out that vision simply follow blindly. Effective leadership is much more complex than that. An effective leader helps his employees (or anyone he is tasked with leading for that matter) find not only the best in themselves but also in the group as a whole. They pull out individual strengths and turn them towards the betterment of the organization. Further, they are examples of the type of behaviors that they wish to see from others.
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Because I am currently a student, my leadership style and my approach to leadership is very different than it has been in the past. Leading within a university, especially from a student prospective can be both challenging and rewarding. Each day I am presented with a number of different approaches to conflict, and each person has their own agenda. When working with individuals as part of any group, I am ultimately responsible for everyone and every product developed. The “buck” does stop with me, and ultimately it is myself that is held accountable of the actions of the group.
Knowing my own limitations however, especially when it comes to making decisions has been a personally journey for me over the last few years. Knowing when to ask for help, and further, knowing when you don’t possess all the answers is key to being successful as a leader. No organization, no manager, no leader has all the resources, or answers to solve a problem.
Discovering My Authentic Self
Every leader, every person, every employee has values which they live by. Some values are at times negotiable and others are unwavering and unbreakable. These values, no matter the importance, govern how we as leaders direct our employees and our organization. My values and core attributes have developed overtime, and include:
- Integrity, honesty, and accountability
- Trustworthiness, ethical, and inclusiveness
- Discretion, empowering, and consistent
- Confident, self-aware, and ever-evolving
- Risk-taker, decisive, and visionary
This list, although not inclusive of my values (rather the most important to me) are all a part of the list we as a class wrote on the board towards the beginning of this semester. I try everyday to live in accordance with these values and allow them to govern my interactions with family, friends, co-workers, and class mates. When I feel myself beginning to deviate from these values, I revisit them and try to find the root cause of the issue at hand.
Before coming to Indianapolis to pursue my degree in law, along with a Master of Public Affairs, I held a number of different corporate positions. Each of these companie in a separate industry and each job title vastly different from the others. As a freight broker at Total Quality Logistics (“TQL”) my job was to buy and sell freight (for a premium) to customers all over North America. The job was both extremely demanding and very stressful.
We as new employees has a quote to meet, which increased every week. Coupled with that I was tasked with managing a partner’s “book of business” while he was away from the office. During my first performance review after only six months with the company, my immediate supervisor expressed his dissatisfaction with my number and suggested I begin to look elsewhere for a job. This type of criticism, without any direction or support, was not optimal. Supporting your team in not only their personal goals, but also the overall mission, goals, and direction of the organization, is critical to development. A leader who does not provide the necessary support, and necessary constructive criticism, cannot expect maximum productively from their employees.
Looking back on the experience after leaving the corporation it has become over time more and more clear why I was not successful in the role in which I was placed. The values that I hold closet were for the large part of my time at TQL in direct contradiction to my day to do duties. I was often times forced to make decisions that were dishonest at best, and illegal at worst, all in the name of making of profit. Often times, my refusal to do so led to the loss of sale or to lost profits for the company, and a small paycheck for my superior, who earned a great deal of his income, on a commission basis.
Integrity, trustworthiness, and honesty are three unwavering values that I hold most dear. As a leader, I am accountable to both my team and the organization. Their triumphs are my triumphs, their short comings are my short comings. Ethically and morally I struggled to make decisions day after day that were in direct contradiction to my “True North” and decisions that I felt, were not authentic.
After leaving TQL I found a home at The International Coach Federation a nonprofit organization with the goal of promoting “coaching” of all forms around the world. Based in over 140 different countries the International Coach Federation (“ICF”) is the largest executive coaching firm in the world and is considered the gold standard for coaching certification and accreditation around the globe. My job, as Content Manager, was to develop and promote educational content for each of our 30,000 plus member organization.
It was at the ICF that I able to really begin to develop my leadership qualities. The CEO of the organization was one who had been at the ICF for a number of years. She was both admired and respected among her peers, as well as throughout the talent development community. I observed her methods and style, both in terms of her own work, but more importantly in her interaction with her staff. Humility was, and remains, one of her greatest strengths. Her ability to create a grand vision for the organization, while also developing concrete steps to get there were a couple of her greatest attributes.
Equally I found, was her uncanny ability to not only delegate tasks but also to make the employees with which a task was trusted, feel included and as if the idea was their own. The greatest takeaway I learned however was that she knew when to ask for help. She knew that if the organization was to grow and prosper it would not do it without the help and expertise of others. It is for the help, insight, direction, and development provided by individuals such as these that I contribute a great deal of my success.
Putting My Authentic Leadership into Action
As my current leadership development up until this point has been a continuous one, it is only nature that my personal leadership plan should be as well. The culmination of my past experiences, coupled with my every changing perspective, and unyielding values will continue to make up the my plans foundation. Throughout this plan, I focuse specifically on those aspects of leadership which I feel are lacking and require the most development in order to truly be successful, and authentic. I fully expect the contents of this plan to change and develop over time as I progress throughout my career, however it is important to find a starting point, should we ever wish to make meaningful progress.
