Leading Naturally

Well-behaved women rarely make history

As March approaches and with it the national celebration of Women's History Month, I find myself reflecting on the inspired leadership of those that have gone before me.  At most of the women's leadership events I attend, someone is always wearing a lapel button proclaiming "well-behaved women rarely make history", and I often wonder if my predecessors were indeed badly behaved or just passionate natural leaders.  I prefer the vision of natural leadership; women who knew exactly who they were and were consistent to the core in their character.

I used to think of leadership in terms of doing, but I have learned that it is better expressed in terms of being

Hitler, for example, was a leader who seized power through command and control but his vision did not ultimately endure.  He was not respected and emulated, but feared.  He thought power could be taken from people, and did not understand that is actually is given by people.  One of my earliest hires was a young African-American Vietnam veteran who always told me "what goes around comes around", and I now know this to be absolutely true.  What we give away in terms of service, sacrifice, and love will come back to us many times over, and this is the true manifestation of power.

Contrast Hitler's leadership with that of one of the most famous military leaders of our time - General Norman Schwarzkopf.  General Schwarzkopf advocated that "leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character.  If you must forego one of them, forego strategy."  He clearly understood the old maxim that who you are can speak so loudly that it matters little what you say you are.

Leadership is grounded on character, which is developed by incorporating desirable behaviors into habits to the point where these behaviors become natural to us.  What are the 'desirable behaviors'?  I think the minimum list includes patience, kindness, humility, respectfulness, selflessness, honesty and commitment.  Character provides the substance behind the servant leader; indeed, he/she cannot have trust and authenticity without it.  Take a look at this list of five characteristics of the servant leader developed by author James Autry:

• Be authentic by always showing your real self
• Be vulnerable by being honest with your feelings
• Be accepting, which is not necessarily agreeing or approving
• Be present and fully participating in every conversation and encounter
• Be useful, understanding this is the very foundation of service

The connection between behavior and effective leadership is compelling

Does this mean leaders are perfect?  No, I don't believe they are, but I do believe that they are perfectly consistent in character.  A favorite quotation comes from Robert K. Cooper who said so eloquently:

No one expects you to be perfect - only genuine and honest.  And so it is with the notable men and women who have the courage to find themselves, to tell the truth about who they are, the mistakes they have made, the dreams they hold dear and what they're most concerned about.

Let your leadership rise with your character.  Be honest about the character habits you know you need to cultivate and then deploy your self-discipline to create those habits.  You will soon find yourself unconsciously competent with these new behaviors, and your natural leadership will emerge.  The servant leadership you have cultivated can now help create meaning and purpose for others, as eloquently posited by Robert Greenleaf in the 1970 essay "The Servant as Leader":

Do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?

Your character is the greatest single factor shaping the culture of the company or organization you lead.  It will manifest itself in the values of your employees or staff quicker than anything else you may intend or direct, or any policy manual you may write.  These values become the context in which your employees work every day.  They shoulder with you the responsibility to carry out the mission and achieve the vision you intend.  Equip them with a sure foundation by being a leader of character and service that they are sure to model.