There is at least one turning point in life. Not to say anyone needs a 180 re-direction but in life and leadership there are moments changing our trajectory.
It was just before high school graduation, my family was ready for me to move on and I craved the independence that college would bring. Having experienced a traumatic loss and exploring myself. In a conversation with someone I admired but struggled with I was told ” YOU ARE A FOLLOWER NOT A LEADER.”
A pivotal moment in my leadership development.
In leadership, striving to learn, adapt, and bring others to the table is valuable. This conversation began a journey of several decades aspiring to lead and follow with grace and openness. Neither is valuable without the other.
As a “leader” who dictates doesn’t have followers because the dictator doesn’t care about those who are following. An effective leader connects with followers, understand their needs, listen, engage, and learn from them.
A career in “leadership” has led to pitfalls, learning opportunities, new perspectives, developing, and most importantly humility. Learning to accept feedback is only half coin. It’s learning from that feedback and making adjustments that positively impact one’s leadership capabilities makes the difference. Owning the mistakes. Taking responsibility and caring for the “followers” lead to pivotal moments.
Having a 20 year career in nonprofit work and a decade as a an executive leader, I continuously evolve. Recently, I magnetically failed to effectively lead an organization. In retrospective, I was using old habits to engage a new community. Taking my standard skills and activities, instead of evolving led to a failed transformation.
This pivotal moment has required I take a step back. Evaluate. Re-evaluate. Connect the dots and continue to evolve.
Leadership denotes the ability to engage in transformation with the followers, requiring strategic engagement, feedback, and constant evaluation