It is important to remember there are lessons all around us, every day, to learn for ourselves how to be better leaders in our respective communities. I have discussed in previous entries the difficulty of sorting those issues into meaningful application. A calm and critical perspective of “good” leadership is frustrating to parse in a world of 24/7 news, multitudinous sources of opinion, and the knee jerk, reactions to the emotionally charged non-data/fact decision making so in vogue.
It is also important to keep in mind where you may find yourself in a leadership role. It is easy to forget there are many moments in your day to exercise critical skills. First recognize this role is a fundamental element of human relationships. Jesus of Nazareth told his disciples that wherever two or more of you are gathered together (in His name) He would be there also. Well, he did not mention ‘so will politics’. This is not a bad thing but it is best to recognize there will be competing agendas,usually but not always, so recognize that fact.
In a small organization the successful follower is going to put a priority on understanding who the principle stakeholders are and deciding whether those agendas are worth supporting. If not get out and move on. There is no sense in burning emotional energy trying to change the organizations culture. Sometimes recognizing the principle stakeholder(s) is easy—say the owner of the business. Sometimes it is not as easy, or it takes time, as the stakeholders are varied and there are multiple roles. In time you become vested, or there are stakeholders whose agenda you can get on the bus with, but that agenda conflicts with other stakeholders.
This is what we are going to explore over the next few weeks so I hope both my readers enjoy the discussion.
