Podcasts are one of my favorite sources of learning. I recently discovered a new podcast (JP Dinnell Podcast) that has been enjoyable, but more importantly, insightful. In the most recent episode, host JP Dinnell, answered a variety of listener questions. I was particularly captivated and inspired by two particular themes - missional living and leadership.
Living in pursuit of a mission is critical to living productively and to finding meaning and purpose. We have discussed this idea of purposeful living in previous posts. But it was impactful to hear someone else describe how we need to identify our mission and then constantly keep our focus fixed on it.
There are times that we may get distracted, forget our mission, or worse, we may not take the time to properly identify our mission. These are the times when things fall apart; the times that we wander aimlessly expending energy doing things that do not matter. We must get back on the path and refocus on the mission. And when we refocus, we regain our sense of meaning.
Viktor Frankl alludes to this idea when he writes in his book, Man's Search for Meaning, "It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life - daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Missional living fuels purpose and meaning.
The comments on leadership also caught my attention. Throughout my childhood, I have become accustomed to living in secondary positions. In every orchestra I played, I was always second cello - never quite good enough to sit first chair but comfortable as number 2. And this number 2 mindset has become a comfortable place to be across a variety of life spheres.
Now, as an adult, I have been put in positions of leadership. As a husband and father, I am the leader of our home. At work, I am the leader of my team for every patient that I see. And I have been entrusted with leadership position in the management of the ultrasound division of our department. Growing from a number 2 position has been an uncomfortable process. I have struggled to find the balance between being authoritative but not overbearing, allowing the team to flourish and not micromanaging, finding the sweet spot between passivity and over-dominance.
As I have looked across the contemporary and historical landscape I have identified a number of examples of good leaders. And it is not too difficult to find examples of bad leaders as well. But what is harder, is translating those examples into actionable steps that allow me to be a good and effective leader. Then, self-doubt and imposter syndrome creep in telling me that I don't have what it takes, that I am a failure, that my team isn't following.
JP defined leadership as casting a vision and setting an example so those people around you do what you need them to do for the benefit of the team and for their benefit. While there is so much more that can be unpacked in the application of this definition, I found the simplicity refreshing and inspirational. It captured the essence of leadership in a way that I felt like I could get my head around it. As we think about the definition, it can be easily broken down into three basic components.
Vision
Proverbs 29:11 says, "Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained." Casting the vision is the first imperative of a good leader. And this gets back to being missional. As a leader, I need to know my mission and the mission of the team. That needs to be either given to me or defined by me. That has to be beacon that illuminates the way. As a husband and father, what is the mission for our family? At work, what is the mission that drives our ultrasound division? Once the mission is defined the vision, then, must be communicated to the team, which leads to the next characteristic.
Example
The vision is cast and the direction of the team is set. A good leader must then lead - by example. This is not just in action but also in attitude. People do not want to follow a leader who is not willing to get down and get dirty getting the job done. This doesn't mean that everyone does the same thing. An effective team has a good understanding of the division of labor. And there are going to be things that I don't do in the team because it is either not my strength or not the most effective use of my effort. But a leader needs to be seen as working hard and giving full effort to further the mission of the team.
Altruism
Finally, leadership is not about self-aggrandizement. I think that it is safe to say that one of the markers of a bad leader is one who is more interested in how the leadership position benefits themselves rather than how they can use their position to benefit others. Good leadership is about benefiting the mission and all those on the team. People will work hard for a cause but chafe at feeling like an expendable pawn to be exploited. They will follow if they know that you are operating with this duality of benefit.
Comentarios