The Leader We All Need Right Now

When I was 23, I had the honor of beginning my teaching career in a brand new school that was seeking ways in which they could distinguish themselves from others within our district. Administration at the building didn’t simply wish to employ similar tactics and practices that had long been tradition at other schools nearby. They wanted to ensure that this school was unique and intentional in its approach to how we build a climate in which kids truly wanted to show up and engage in their learning every single day.

Thus, we found a program called The Leader in Me. If you’re unfamiliar, that’s okay– I was, too! However, if you’ve ever heard of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, then you’ve already got a good idea of what this is all about.

In a nutshell, The Leader in Me utilized The 7 Habits, and broke them down in such a way that even kindergarten students could learn them with ease. The kids could then begin applying them to their everyday lives– both in and out of the school building.

Habits such as:

• Being proactive rather than reactive
• Thinking win-win
• Seeking first to understand others before making yourself understood
• Practicing synergy
• Beginning every endeavor with the end result in mind

In short, it was life-changing. As an impressionable, young educator with a thirst to make a name for myself, I was all-in. I found ways to incorporate these habits into every lesson, conversation, and story. I started talking about them with my family and friends outside of the building, and began to feel myself applying them to every situation possible. Even now, eleven years later, I still find myself referencing them and using them everywhere I go.

As of late, the topic of leadership is one that’s on most people’s mind. It’s no secret that we’re at a point in our history where we’re being more critical of our leaders than ever.

We tend to get lost in playing the blame game, pointing the finger at the people on the other side of the aisle. We could sit here all day long and say, “well if those people would just stop doing this and start doing this, we’d all be fine!”

It’s incredibly easy to say, “we need a new President,” or, “we need new leaders in Congress,” or even, “we need new leaders in our community.” Those arguments can have merit, absolutely. But if all we do is yell and scream and say, “it’s all their fault,” we’ll likely never see a day of real peace ever again.

The part we so often miss, or blatantly decide isn’t worth our time, is the one in which we stop looking across the aisle, and instead look into the mirror and ask ourselves, “What about me? What example am I setting for others? What work do I need to do on myself to bring about real change where it matters most?”

The answers are really quite simple–

Lead your life in such a way that it inspires others around you to notice what you’re doing, and makes them want to discover their best selves, too.

Live in such a way that it challenges stagnant mindsets, but still makes plenty of room for all ideas and welcomes everyone’s voice at the table.

Let your actions create a space for every voice to be uplifted, allowing others to see the light and power they carry within.

But here’s the real kicker– you have to do it for the benefit of everyone around you, not for yourself.

If your go-to instinct is to stand up where everyone can see you and loudly boast, “Look at me! Look how amazing I am!”, then I’m sorry to say, you’re doing it wrong. Leadership is not about “me,” it’s about “we”– what we can do, what we can accomplish, and what we can make better so everyone can truly know and feel that they actually belong.

It’s true, anyone can be a leader. By looking inward to see how we can use our talents and abilities to bring out the greatness in others, we find our true voice and pave the way for a legacy of success– for everyone.

The question is…do you really want to see things change, or do you want to sit around and complain all day that they won’t? Look for the places in your life in which you can lead with more humility, service, and strength, and watch the happiness around you begin to build itself.

I’ll close with this example from history as to what it takes to truly demonstrate selfless leadership.

In 1970 when the Apollo 13 mission turned disastrous, flight director Gene Kranz knew the odds were stacked against everyone involved– especially the astronauts drifting 200,000 miles from Earth.

I want to ask you something…

Did he throw his hands in the air and say, “There’s nothing we can do, and I want to know wh!” Nope. Instead, he remained as calm as he could, and decided that failure was not an option for his team.

Not for glory, but instead for the victory of the lives on the line, Kranz never wavered in his dedication. For four days he kept everyone involved, both in space and on the ground, focused on the mission at hand– armed with nothing but remote radio equipment and the power of his voice.

With a steady hand and heart, he led the crew safely back home, and reminded us all that through calm collaboration and unshakeable focus, we can make the impossible possible.

Until next time,

Stay strong.
Stay together.
Stay in the light.

-Ben the Blogger