Thoughts on Leadership

Leadership is one of the most searched terms in Google.  Countless books have been written on the subject. 

This is about what leadership means to me.

When I look back on my life to find the first acknowledgment of leadership, outside of my parents or family, the school playground comes to mind.  Recess.

Remember the kid that got a game of dodge ball together?  Or the one that started ‘red rover, red rover’?  That’s leadership in its most basic form, someone following another’s lead.

In my opinion, leadership is a personal acknowledgment that being of service to others is a greater purpose than serving yourself.  Leadership is a desire to see someone else accomplish a thing that they didn’t think they could accomplish.

Leadership is part art and part science.  Leadership lives in the gray matter, it doesn’t know boundaries.  Leadership is not about knowing the answers but about asking the right questions, in the right way.

Leadership is helping another person, team, department or group find the answers, solutions, products, process, etc that exists within themselves.

 

Leadership is being comfortable in the silence, thereby allowing space and room for others to grow. 

The likelihood of me looking back on this 20 years from now and laughing hysterically is about 99.9%.  Leadership evolves.

My 6-word memoir about leadership:  helps others lead a better life

My favorite video about leadership is by Derek Sivers TED2010.  Enjoy.

Making it to 80

I’m so fortunate to hang out with a tribe of friends and mentors that are right smack dab in the middle of their personal and professional sweet spot, at the intersection of their passion and how they make a living.  Peeps like Phil Yanov, Russ Davis, and Natalie and Kamran Popkin.  Let’s be honest, it’s rare, if we’re lucky we’re heading in that direction or even know what direction that is, right?  Obviously, I’ve still a ways to travel on this journey…

Another one of these rare individuals is Travis Runion.  It was pure accident that we met.  He was sent over to take a head shot of me at the request of a friend.  Let’s just say it’s the only picture I’ve ever really liked of myself and I use it everywhere.  Based on that experience with him I asked him to create a video for me of the Super Bowl experience I was a part of so that I could share the pictures and videos with the whole group that went that year; another exceptional experience.  Next, I hired him for several events at work, everything from photography and troubleshooting equipment to videography, production and websites.  His work is simply amazing.  Travis has a unique eye and viewpoint that he brings to his work and his professionalism is exceptional.

I recently learned of a new project Travis is working on, interviewing 80 people that are 80 years or older.  My mother just turned 80 in September and I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get a video of her and this is perfect!  Since it’s a ‘project’ he’s doing then it’s not necessarily me asking her to do it, so she said yes.  I’m so pleased with the result that I want to share an excerpt of Betty Thompson.  My mother is the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met, she’s my hero and I want to be just like her when I group up…err, wait, I am just like her, well almost, it’s a work in progress.

If you have a parent or grandparent that you would like to capture on video, here’s your chance and Travis Runion is your guy.  My mother just loved working with him and trust me, she’s a tough cookie, if she thinks you’re an idiot, she’ll just tell you ‘you’re an idiot.’  She’s not always for public consumption.  She shines like the gem she is in this shoot.  Cheers.

ps I have it on good authority that there is a mastermind group in Greenville, SC that urged Travis to get started on this project.  If you're stuck, a group like this may be of assistance and I hear a new session is starting asap.