Leadership isn't about the tools; it's about the craftsman.

Several months ago, I read an article in Harvard Business Review about "tough empathy." The authors claimed that tough empathy was the key to leadership. Perhaps tough empathy, at the right time, in the right place, with the right people, would be the right tool to use. However, it is just that -- a tool. Despite the plethora of articles -- and companies -- who would like to convince us that there is ONE way to be an effective leader (the way they happen to be selling), the sobering truth about leadership is that there is NO one way to be all the time or to lead all the time. Leaders have to be fully developed individuals who are capable of reading themselves, the people they are leading, and the situation and then decide upon the most effective way to lead. Effective leadership comes from effective people who have developed themselves and who have attained a certain level of self-mastery. Leadership is not about finding the right tool and using it all the time. Leadership is about being a craftsman who can easily recognize what tool to reach for when and under what circumstances.

Leadership isn't about the tools; it's about the craftsman

Several months ago, I read an article in Harvard Business Review about "tough empathy." The authors claimed that tough empathy was the key to leadership. Perhaps tough empathy, at the right time, in the right place, with the right people, would be the right tool to use. However, it is just that -- a tool.

Despite the plethora of articles -- and companies -- who would like to convince us that there is ONE way to be an effective leader (the way they happen to be selling), the sobering truth about leadership is that there is NO one way to be all the time or to lead all the time.

Leaders have to be fully developed individuals who are capable of reading themselves, the people they are leading, and the situation and then decide upon the most effective way to lead.

Effective leadership comes from effective people who have developed themselves and who have attained a certain level of self-mastery. Leadership is not about finding the right tool and using it all the time. Leadership is about being a craftsman who can easily recognize what tool to reach for when and under what circumstances.

Unrealized potential is money that you never get to deposit in the bank.

I read an article online by Paul Kearns the other day that said, "The purpose of leadership is to realize the maximum value of human potential." (http://www.evidence-basedmanagement.com/research_practice/articles/kearns_leadership_ebm.pdf) Too often this is dismissed as soft skills or simply being nice. It has nothing to do with being nice and there is nothing easy -- or soft -- about it.



Think about it: you have a team that you manage or lead. If there is latent potential that never sees the light of day, you just left money on the table. This is like having a Royal Flush in poker, but playing as though you are simply holding cards of the same color. As a card player, you need to know how to make the most out of the hand that you were dealt.



As a leader, you need to wake up that dormant potential and find a way to draw from it. In all the manager and leader coaching that I have ever done, I have never once heard a manager say that they want to bring the performance of their team down because they are just exceeding expectations all over the place! There is almost always more performance potential locked inside of people. As a leader, your job is to provide the key.



This is a journey that the leader and follower must embark upon together. However, a person will only follow the leader if they trust the character of the leader. No trust, no sale.

Leaders are grown, not born.

To effectively lead, one must have courage, integrity, self and social awareness, empathy, discipline and principled values. In short, a leader has developed her character. No one is born with these virtues and attributes. These virtues and attributes are developed over the course of our lifetime through the experiences that we have and the meaning that we create from those experiences.

Experiences alone don't develop character or leadership ability. Turning our experiences into meaningful growth opportunities requires the work of reflection and the commitment to growth. Anyone can do this work; too few choose to.

I recently watched a History Channel documentary on the Dalai Lama. I was inspired by his level of self-discovery and reflection. Seemingly every event of his life, he turned into a learning experience that deepened his character and his ability to lead. In one part of the interview, they asked the Dalai Lama about the struggle with China and how he dealt with the many injustices that he and his people had suffered at their hands. The Dalai Lama smiled peacefully and said, "Without enemy, you cannot learn patience and tolerance. From that standpoint, enemy is a great teacher."

I was humbled and motivated by this interview. So many people, with so much less provocation and adversity, turn to bitterness and anger and the ever elusive revenge. Instead, he turned to learning what he could from the experience and using that learning to further develop himself.