The Art of Leadership

I’ve experienced being under good leadership in my life, as well as being subjected to a few who lacked that special gifting for it. I would define good leadership as the kind that supports and challenges their followers to continue climbing towards their potential. This type of leadership is an art, a dance between encouragement and correction, between guidance, noticing natural talent, and aptitude within the follower, while steering them away from oversights.

Let me give you a few examples.

One notable leader I had the pleasure of working for was able to let me try out novel ideas in a brand new job while troubleshooting for me against her leaders who were critical of anything new. She also supported our whole department like this, including asking about how we fared as individuals, and about our families. She cared about me during a time when my mom had just passed away.

I've noticed that some of the best leaders are the ones who actually stooped to do the exact same job along side me and others, who jumped in to lend a hand. This proved that they could actually still do the job well, therefore, we’d be keen on listening to their advise about how to do it.

However, my most significant lesson in leadership came early in life. It came from a man who was such an awesome leader that when he died close to four hundred people attended his funeral. He had a brilliant military career, not only doing his given job well, he was repeatedly given accolades for encouraging those under his leadership, but also going the extra mile to simply help people. After he retired, he taught Sunday school and was a church deacon. During this timeframe, many people came to him for advice, and he welcomed them into his home to chat about life.

This man was my father and the best example of leadership that I’ve ever seen.

He was able to see the good, specifically, the potential in people. And he encouraged this. He verbalized it to them. Not only that but he got people to thinking and talking about possibilities. He dreamed with them.

When it came to correction, he was a master at it. I remember several situations well, but this one is a good example of a common occurrence.

One Saturday, he discovered that I had used the tape out of his desk drawer and had not put it back “like I had found it.” (This was a rule in our household.) Instead I had just put it back on top of his desk. He came and found me and asked me what I was doing. I answered that I was working on a school project or an art project, something of that sort. Instead of saying anything, yet, about the tape, he talked to me about the project. Then he commended me for doing it, for being proactive. Then he said he’d discovered his tape on top of his desk vs in his drawer and could I go back and put it in the proper place. So I did. And after that, he talked more to me about how he was proud of me and said more good things about the project and how well I was doing. He had a knack for this. I always went away feeling affirmed, that I could tackle anything. And the little bit of correction just felt like I needed to get a tad better, to refine what I was already doing well.

Much later I found out that this is called the “sandwich approach.” We reviewed this in a leadership class I had once. If someone needs correcting, make sure to start out with what they ARE doing right, ask them to tweak what needs improvement or remind them of the known expectation, and then follow up with another reminder of how much they are appreciated. And being specific is very important, otherwise it’s not real. Dad did this naturally. I knew he meant it. And I went away knowing he loved me and greatly approved of me and what I was doing. I just needed to remember to do xyz.

So basically, this makes sense to me when correcting someone. Hardly anyone is utterly failing in their position. Likely, most people are performing at 75%, 80%, or 90%. So if an individual is up-to-snuff at 90% why would we approach them railing away at the 10% that is inadequate? That is disheartening, to say the least. Very much so!

Dad always encouraged me. And so did those other good leaders who believed in me. They were also able to share with me areas in which I needed improvement. And I received it, likely because I knew they believed in me, expressed approval and appreciation. This is huge.

How have you been affected by a strong, caring leader? Have they made a difference in your life?

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." — John Quincy Adams