Sometimes you hear something for so long that it becomes truth. This is not to say what you were hearing was wrong, but periodically things change and need to be looked at through a different lens. Such is the case with leadership.
I want to share with you three things which people assume are leadership facts but we need to rethink. Things have changed.
1. The most important job of a leader is to properly evaluate reality.
Leadership guru Max Dupree famously said, “The most important job of a leader is to properly evaluate reality.” Who are any us to disagree with the legendary Dupree but I do not believe evaluating reality is not the most important job of a leader.
The most important job of of a leader is to properly lead yourself.
If you cannot lead yourself, you simply cannot lead others. The following are just some of the things which can happen when you practice poor self-leadership:
- Poor health
- Broken relationships
- Lack of self-control
- Faulty thinking
- Financial recklessness
If you cannot lead yourself well, it does not matter how much reality you can evaluate.
2. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Theodore Roosevelt is credited with saying, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This statement is true but it is also incomplete.
People do want to first know how much you care. No doubt. But shortly thereafter, they really do want to know how much you know.
This is because leadership is about moving organizations and people from Point A to Point B. This requires skill and competency. If you do not possess the necessary leadership skills and competencies, you will hear people say, “He’s a nice guy and this isn’t personal, but…..”
Once people know how much you care, they care how much you know.
3. Start With Why.
When Simon Sinek wrote his best-selling book Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action in 2009 and released his famous TED Talk, “Start With Why” became a leadership axiom. And rightfully so.
But something interesting has happened in the last 15 years.
“Starting With Why” is really all about me. It is a self-focused statement. It is my “Why”. But leadership is all about others.
Rather than asking what is your “Why”, ask, “Who can I serve?”
By asking who you can serve, your focus is now on others. You are now adding value and providing solutions. And that is what leadership is all about.
Rather than “Start With Why”, ask, “Who Can I Serve?”
Conclusion
- The most important job of a leader is not to properly evaluate reality, it is to lead yourself well.
- Once people know how much you care, they really do care how much you know.
- Don’t start with your why, start with who can you serve.
For additional leadership quotes, my latest eBook is available for download. The Top 65 Leadership Quotes Of 2022 Part 1 is a resource every leader should have. Great quotes bring clarity and put into words who we intuitively feel as leaders. They give us wisdom and insights which advance the mission and vision of our organizations. This eBook includes thoughts and insights from leaders like Warren Buffett, Nick Saban, James Clear, Dawn Staley, Jurgen Klopp, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Ted Lasso. This resource will take you about 10 minutes to read but a lifetime to apply. You will want to stop and ponder the implications of each quote. Click HERE or on the image provided for immediate download!