Have you ever wondered why
just about every other movie or TV show that the entertainment industry is
producing these days is about some sort of superhero? Seriously, if this keeps
up they are going to run out of special powers and the next thing you know we
will be watching the daring exploits of Actuary
Man statistically battling Chaos! This got me thinking out loud that the
obvious reason for this trend is that this genre makes the entertainment
industry a lot of money, but I think the deeper reason is that it meets our intrinsic
needs for legendary heroes and role models in a very cynical world. This also
has me thinking you can be legendary in your own right and may already be so!
As an example, in Stephen M.
Covey’s book, The Speed of Trust, he
shares the story of JetBlue CEO, David Neelman, who drove to JFK Airport to
check passengers in on his personal laptop during a power outage. I bet there are
legendary figures in your own organization. The leader that bravely stood up
and questioned the course of the organization or the leader that chose not to
sell their business even when it would have meant huge personal profits, but
they knew such an acquisition would have resulted in the loss of jobs in a
small community. These “next level” leaders are legendary, almost mythical, figures
not because they have some bizarre superpower but because their power or
influence comes from what is already
inside of them. So, if I was to write the script, here are the superpowers of
Next Level Servant Leaders that become legends in their own right.
Moral
Courage – Next Level leaders have a moral compass that cannot be
influenced or redirected. They have an instinctive sense of what the right
thing to do is even if it is not convenient or easy to do it.
Consistency – closely
aligned with Moral Courage, consistency insures that not only do we do the
right things, but we do them consistently. This establishes a track record of
both personal integrity but also demonstrates what leaders expect of others.
Vision – not
the kind that allows you to see through buildings, but vision that energizes
others and helps keep them focused when the work gets tough. Like the superheroes
on the big or small screen, Legendary Leaders believe in and fight for a better
world or situation for ALL of us and not just some of us.
Conviction – is when
passion meets purpose. Legendary leaders are so convinced that what they are
doing is of value, they refuse to be shaken in their resolve or distracted from
their goals. You see, it is that sense of conviction that allows leaders to
view sacrifices, discomfort, and failure as not barriers but just what they need
to overcome to reach a “Bigger Yes!” Think about it, how interesting would the story
be if our favorite superhero did not have to overcome a powerful nemesis or debilitating
personal struggle?!?!
These are just a few of the “superpowers”
of legendary leaders and I bet you can add to or create your own list. Just
think about the person in your organization who is the subject of the “remember
when he did this” or “she started this organization with just a few friends
working out of her basement” story. Why are people sharing that story over and
over? What are or were those leaders like? I bet they are people of incredible
integrity much like Dean of Students Dr. William Tate at the University of Georgia
who in the midst of potentially violent protests over the U.S. involvement in
the war in Vietnam in the 1960s, quietly sat down in the grass with the
students in front of the administration building. He did not threaten or demand
they disperse, he listened and demonstrated all the qualities above. Such an
approach was in sharp contrast to how other universities where using national guard
or state police to break up such demonstrations, usually with destructive
results.
One of the best ways to know
that you have become a legendary Next Level Servant Leader is when people start
telling stories about you. Not that you will ever ask them to but because
your legendary exploits will be so positive that they become part of the lore or
mythology of the organization. As Henk Broeders, head of Cap Gemini in the Netherlands
shares, “A trusted leader can only exist over the long term in a large
organization if there are good myths about them.”
In all honesty, we do not need
comic book characters to look up to. We need real people like you to step
up. People that make things, cure things, teach things, build things, help
things, and create things. It does not matter if you are a young emerging
leader or seasoned leadership veteran. We need both of you and everyone in
between. I challenge you to everyday do something that will make you a hero to
someone else. All you need is the greatest power of all, the power of the human
heart and spirit! It’s you we are
waiting on to come save us all.
As always if I can help you and
the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I invite
you to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching
experiences I offer can provide an impact.
If you want to know more about
finding your leadership platform, I would direct you to Leading Out Loud: Strategies for
Raising Your Leadership Voice! available on Amazon.com. Also, I am
happy to announce that I am now offering a two-part NEXT LEVEL Servant
Leadership Training. The first part is a fun and interactive introduction
into what Servant Leadership is and the impact it can have, and the second part
provides an Action Plan to create and activate a Servant Leadership
culture curriculum within your organization. Please feel free to contact me for
a no obligation inquiry.
Yours in Leadership,
Bill Faulkner
Principal Consultant – Out
Loud Strategies
Independent Coach, Speaker,
and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email
= bill@outloudinc.com
Visit our website at: www.outloudinc.com
For more information on the
John Maxwell Team, please visit
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