A thought by John C. Maxwell from his
book, Leadershift (p. 62). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click
on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
The reason why we choose to lead is so very
important.
John says, “I’ve met a lot of people
who desire to become leaders. That’s only natural since I do so much teaching
and writing on the subject. When I get the chance to interact with people
one-on-one, I often ask them why they want to be leaders. Sometimes their
answers reveal that their motivation is really about the perks of leading. They
want to be in control. They want others to do what they say. They want a nicer
office. They want a higher income. They want a better parking place.
“When I started out as a young leader,
my thoughts were similar. I was enamored with my title of pastor. It conveyed
to me that I was the shepherd of the flock, and I thought people would
automatically follow me because they needed me. They would rely on me for
direction and be grateful for everything I did for them. It seemed simple.
“Then reality hit. The people of the
church were kind to me, but they didn’t automatically follow me. That’s when I
learned what I later called the Law of E. F. Hutton: when the real leader
speaks, people listen. The title that I expected to be so important didn’t come
with any of the perks I anticipated. I learned that I would have to earn
influence myself along the way.
“Fifty years later, I can say that in
my career as a leader, I’ve received just about every kind of perk imaginable.
I’ve received titles, recognition, honorary degrees, authority, nice offices,
good parking places, money, preferential treatment—you name it, I’ve had it!
However, none of these things motivates me as a leader. I lead because of what
I can do for other people. That’s the best motivation to lead others. It took
time to get there, but I made the shift from being focused on what I can
receive as a leader (the perks) to what I can give as a leader (the price).
He later says, “The choice to lead
because of benefits, benefits no one, not even the leader. Focusing on perks
won’t take you anywhere worthwhile because deep inner fulfillment never comes
from perks. What they offer is ultimately hollow. And they have never helped a
leader to reach his or her potential. Leaders who focus on perks end up
misusing their leadership, and because they love perks more than people, they
are continually tempted to misuse people to receive, maintain, or improve their
perks.
“If you want to reach your potential,
become the best leader you can be, and make the greatest impact, then you must
shift from perks to price in your leadership. A price is what stands between
you and your potential. If you want to be a better leader, you need to pay for
it.”
And that is what I want and I'm sure the
same is true for you. You too want to be a better leader, don't you?
Comments
Post a Comment