Great leaders help people to improve, to capitalize on their talents, and to learn to be the best version of themselves. They coach, guide, direct, and facilitate others as a means of making them more skillful, productive, and satisfied. They challenge others with long-term goals and visions that are larger than themselves. They make them a part of a cohesive team and include them in the decisions that affect them. They sacrifice their time, energy, and focus so others can excel.
Leadership, in its best form, is a wildly generous act.
But every time a leader teaches, coaches or mentors others to a better outcome, they also make themselves better. By working to improve others, they invariably improve themselves. By explaining and showing others how to make the most of situations, they absorb their own lessons, creating a clarity of thinking and doing that informs their own choices.
Great leaders work hard for others as a means of making themselves better. In this way, leadership is both an act of generosity and an act of self-focus.
Ironically, the more selfish a leader is to achieve personal growth and development, the better they are at helping others succeed. They learn about themselves with every choice they make for others. Even servant leaders appreciate the fact that they derive great self-satisfaction from service. The more they serve others, the more they learn how to serve themselves.
Perhaps the professor turned spiritual guru Ram Dass said it best: “I help people as a way to work on myself, and I work on myself to help people.” Working on themselves by helping others is what great leaders do. Think about it.
Excellent perspective — one regularly missing from the leadership-industrial complex's nonstop prattle.
Good morning,
Very interesting post.
That certainly checks out with a large number of managers I have worked for. It's a transactional relationship. I try to be more balanced in my approach. Yes it's important to succeed. I find helping others be a better version of their self; to be fulfilling. Perhaps this means I am wired as a servant leader. Most of the men and women, who have taught me, are hardworking people who have learned their wisdom through suffering. I can relate very little with Richard Alpert, PhD, (RIP). It looks and sounds like he studied Hinduism and mixed it with brain altering drugs. Not particularly the education I seek. He clearly monetized the Hindi culture to make a name for himself. The documentary Going Home is touching. In it he mentioned the grace he learned, because of the stroke. Sometimes, those of us privy to traumatic events, disease, etc... tend to learn our wisdom through suffering.
One thing I have noticed though is one must be relatable to be truly influencial. Most relatable individuals are not celebrities. Rather they are out there supporting charities, serving the community, working a job (sometimes two or three), and trying to take care of their family.
Those are the men and women I prefer to listen to, learn from, and work side by side.
Thanks for your time.