I’ve just return from a two-day conference where much of the discussion revolved around leadership. It got me thinking about a curious human characteristic that I’ll call the Leadership Paradox.
On the one hand, we all like to think of ourselves as special. We have unique talents to offer. We are all above average. Everyone wants to be treated better than the rest. There is just something in our nature that makes us rankle at being labeled “normal”.
On the other hand, watch how we behave when there is a call for leadership. That’s when we cringe, when we scrunch down in our chairs and attempt to hide behind the person in front of us. We want to blend in, to disappear in the crowd. As a species, we seem to be reluctant to put ourselves forward as leaders. In this situation, everyone wants to be just an Average Guy.
I’m certainly no different. I’ve often considered myself the best #2 in town. I don’t mind doing the work. I don’t mind passing on the orders. I don’t mind taking the back seat. Just don’t ask me to be #1.
What’s that about?
Leadership certainly has its drawbacks. There’s responsibility. There’s obligation. There’s prominence. There’s accountability. Perhaps scariest of all, there’s the chance that no one will follow. We’re not wrong when we view leadership with apprehension. But when we refuse to rise to the challenge of leadership and take refuge in our anonymity, the dangers are even greater.
When people of character refuse to undertake positions of leadership, they leave a power vacuum that the unscrupulous will rush to fill. Practically any leadership role offers opportunities for corruption, abuse and cronyism, and we are never at a loss for scoundrels seeking a chance to further their own agenda. If we want our leaders to be honest, responsive and productive, to have integrity and to lead us with purpose, then people who possess those qualities will have to step up. No one develops those traits on the job. You have to bring them with you when you apply.
There are many opportunities for leadership in life—in our churches, our schools, our government, our workplaces—and sooner or later most of us get the chance to lead. The choice is simple: you can step up, or you can step aside. But if you step aside, you have no room for complaint when the person who does step up uses the opportunity to increase their own personal wealth or power base. You had your chance and you blew it.
Are you going to settle for following a scoundrel, or will you rise to the challenge of leadership?
I stumbled across this movie trailer. I’ve never heard of the film, but since it was a UK release and documents the way the world whistled through the early signs of global warming until it was too late to do anything about it, I’m guessing it had only a very limited US showing. I’m a big fan of Pete Postlethwaite, however, and I really liked the documentary McLibel made by the same director. I think the trailer looks intriguing. It isn’t available on Netflix yet, but they do allow you to “save” it so they can gauge interest. So whether you think you’ll be interested or not, if you’re a Netflix customer please enter this one in your “saved” section. Encourage Netflix to spend a whopping $12.99 so the rest of us can see a meaningful film about global warming.
Q. How do you avoid unwanted marketing? A. You can’t. No matter what you do.
Times are tough all around, and many companies have responded to difficult times by tripling their efforts to recruit new customers—by force, if necessary.
I’ve been getting countless robo‑calls, despite being on the no‑call list. I immediately hang up on any recording, but by that time I’ve already put down whatever I was doing, muted the music or television, and answered the phone. The sound of the recorded voice makes me thoroughly annoyed, but I’m only left with the impotent act of slamming down the receiver.
Sigh.
It’s almost a given: the more important the robo‑voice says a call is, the less important it really is. Can you imagine a really important call being delivered in such a fashion? “I’m sorry to report that your biopsy was positive for melanoma. For surgery, press 1. For chemotherapy, press 2. For hospice, press 3.” Absurd.
And it’s not just the robo‑calls. The spam machines are working overtime. The fundraising phone banks hum with activity. I’m getting calls from companies I’ve never done business with, companies I’ve never heard of. I’ve even begun to get door-to-door salespeople. How many decades has it been since anyone rang your doorbell and tried to sell you something other than youth fundraising merchandise?
One of the few blogs I read on a regular basis is Seth Godin’s. His articles are of general interest, but his focus is on marketing. The good kind of marketing. The smart kind of marketing. He recently had an interesting item on this mad frenzy of pointless marketing. Read it here. Unfortunately, his ideas are too reasonable to appeal to the masses, and that’s a shame. If more people like Godin were running the marketing machines of the world, life would be a lot less aggravating. And I would be able to get through my dinner without yet another rude and pointless call from someone (or something) I wouldn’t do business with in a thousand years.
Whenever I’m in a person’s home or office, I like to get an opportunity to check out the contents of their bookshelves. I think you can tell a lot about a person based on the books they keep on hand.
When I was young, my idea of utter affluence was a private library. I wasn’t sure I’d ever have one …[MORE]
After less than a year belonging to Facebook, I’m beginning to regret it.
I was one of the last of my circle to get in the game. I pointedly resisted for a long time, but finally I caved. There was just too much going on there that I didn’t want to miss out on. Pictures were posted. Events were hyped. …[MORE]
It was an “obstacle” course—one that either earned you your diploma or forced you to change majors. It was offered once each year and taught by only one professor. I signed up.
On the first day of class he laid out his plan. We would have regular homework assignments that would be discussed in class; he would give …[MORE]
Most of us have been to a symphony at some time or other. We all know what it looks like, what it sounds like, how it’s done.
Or do we?
Things are not always what you expect them to be. Take a look at this fabulous video. Conductor Gustavo Dudamel leads a spectacular performance by the Venezuelan …[MORE]
I had an interesting backgammon match today and I found in it several lessons I’d like to share. Even if you don’t know the game, hang in there with me. I think you’ll still appreciate the moral to the story.
It was clear from the first roll of the dice that my opponent was a rank amateur. She had trouble …[MORE]
A friend recently told me about an interesting podcast he’d heard. The subject was medical advances in the field of human longevity. The premise was that medical and technological advances would soon outpace the extended lifetimes they produced, potentially resulting in a human lifespan of a thousand years or more. In fact it was suggested …[MORE]
Maybe it’s a sign of aging; maybe it’s a sign of the times. Whatever the reason, I’ve begun to lose patience with the American preoccupation with “improving” food products to the point of tastelessness. It seems that good is never good enough. Manufacturers are always looking to cut their costs and extend the shelf life of their …[MORE]