When Leaders Struggle

Leaders are always supposed to be strong right? They are the ones who are up in front, leading the pack. Or behind the scenes, pushing us ahead. They are the ones who know best, who are the smartest, the best educated, who have the responsibility to ensure the well-being of those who follow. Leaders are the ones who focus the rest of us on what really matters, who think beyond the everyday to what’s most important. We sometimes think of them as super human. Is it any wonder that they fall? That they fail to live up to our expectations? That so many in recent years have crashed to the ground or into jail?

Leadership, once claimed or owned, is a tremendous responsibility. And these common perceptions and the pressure to maintain them may be so great, that if we ourselves become leaders, we may feel pressured to keep others from finding out our faults and our weaknesses. We may not want anyone to see that we really are no different from anyone else. After all, the least mistake, if it becomes public knowledge, can send us sprawling from our pedestal.

So what happens when leaders struggle? When the company is losing money? What happens when the customers just don’t seem to be there? When a child dies or a wife leaves? What happens when tragedies hit her family or his company? What happens when the building burns down, or the equipment kills an employee? What happens when he or she leads the people into battle, and they fail to succeed, and so there are many casualties?

The phrase, “It’s lonely at the top” comes to mind. The phrase, “We are all human” comes to mind. The question, “Who’s going to be the strong one now, the one to make the decisions while I struggle?” comes to mind. Company presidents, ministers, single parents, school principals – all must ask these questions some times. Maybe that’s why some people just don’t want to take on leadership responsibilities.

But what if we decided differently about leaders? What if we really believed that all of us are supposed to be leaders of someone or something? That we each have a “calling” to fulfill, and that fulfilling that “calling” is so important to someone or some group that it makes us a leader when we are living out that capacity. Dennis Bakke, co-founder and CEO of Imagine Schools and founder and former CEO of AES Corporation, believed this perspective to be so important that he considered Joy at Work (the title of his book) to be possible only when people were in charge of something, when they were decision makers. He built a company around expecting everyone to be in charge of decisions – rather than considering himself to be the main decision maker. The Bible talks about “spiritual gifts,” those that God has called us to live out. When we fully live out these gifts, we are serving a special and important role in the church, a role that no one else can fill. We are “leading” when we are fulfilling that role. But that gift or those roles are God given, God empowered. And because all in the church are “called” to some role, all gifts are equally important if the church is to function as God intends.

Whether everyone shares this spiritual perspective or not, or whether we believe that churches are succeeding at this biblical mandate, might it not be a useful metaphor for companies and other organizations? That is, the person who looks most important, who has the most visible responsibilities, who speaks the most, or who is most intelligent would not be considered more important than the one who keeps the computers running, or the one who ensures that the sick receive their benefits. The whole organization would be made up of “essential functions” or roles that would be filled by people who were most gifted or suited to those roles. And “suited” would mean more than whether we were educated for the role or had held a similar role before. It would mean that we experienced a heart, soul, and mind “calling” toward that role. It would mean that we felt most fulfilled when carrying out that role.

Because everyone’s role would be essential to the functioning of the whole, we would be paying attention to people’s gifts and encouraging them to discover their talents. We would be helping them to develop those talents, and holding their hands when they were discouraged. We would invest heavily in the people around us; in developing their strengths; in asking for their input and support. We would have no justification for considering anyone more important than anyone else, because for the whole organization to operate best, everyone would have to be operating at their best. Or given that we would accept that no one is infallible, we would create systems for filling in and helping out those who were temporarily “dys” functional.

And best of all for the person with the formal title of leader, someone’s role would be “caring for,” supporting, restoring, and “being there” for the more visible leader, rather than the leader having to keep up appearances, trying to look strong when she wasn’t feeling it. The person in the role at the top wouldn’t have to fake it, but would have a coach to continually support him, challenge him to grow and become; someone to lean on when needed. What if, instead of leaders considering themselves better than others, or as having more rights, or as smarter, or more capable, or more responsible, or [feel free to fill in the blank], they instead saw themselves as servants. I remember a book called “Servant Leadership” – I think this was exactly its point.

Becoming a Leader

We often think of leaders as people with particular traits, with particular needs to be up in front, to guide others, or to offer some talent that they alone have. And it is true that some people have those needs. Others advance in job or social situations to positions where they are expected to provide leadership whether they feel these needs or not. We see these people up in front. We expect of them some special skills that we might not expect of ourselves.

But, in fact, aren’t we all supposed to be leaders? Of something or someone? That is, aren’t we all supposed to have some influence on the world for good? From a spiritual point of view, we all have gifts or “callings” that we are to use in some way to positively affect the world. And isn’t that the same as “leading” someone or some group or some situation toward “the good?” The gifts of the Spirit noted in the Christian Bible include wisdom (giving wise advice), knowledge (studying and teaching), faith, prophesying, serving, teaching, preaching, administration, giving comfort, generosity with money earned, healing, prophecy, miraculous powers, discrimination between spirits, speaking in or interpreting different languages (see Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12). Other spiritualities or faiths may name other gifts or talents. But most believe that we have a responsibility in the world to make a positive difference by using the gifts we have received. And doesn’t this mean we become role models, influencing people toward what is right? Doesn’t that make us leaders or healers or change creators – if only by enacting our own giftedness?

In fact, haven’t we all heard of people who made remarkable differences in the lives of those around them, in their work environments, in their communities without ever having to get up in front? They may have influenced from the background. From a quiet counseling room or as a tutor of a young child or from getting all of the administrative tasks out of the way so that a preacher could preach or a youth leader direct.

I think we make mistakes when we expect leaders to be strong people of bravado, and when we opt out of leading because we are not brave or do not like to stand up in front. I think those to whom we assign leadership get the wrong message when we expect them to always be in charge, to always be confident in front of a crowd, or to always strongly assert themselves in difficult situations. I think we let ourselves and many other gifted people off the hook when we opt out of leadership – as though we are saying, you have to look strong, stand tall, and be assertive and confident in order to make a difference. The pressure that those strong, tall, assertive people then feel is to always be right, to always speak up, to always know THE truth or THE way to go. And who can live up to such expectations?

In fact, some of the best leaders have been introverts, quiet people who have triggered the strengths of those around them. They have listened first. They have asked questions and gathered experts around them – and expected those experts to behave as experts. They have known they are not always right, and have considered the answers that groups develop to be better than those they create themselves. They have been quiet and unassuming – but have recognized and supported and built the strengths of others.

Doesn’t this let those of us in traditional leadership roles off the hook a bit? Doesn’t it put the focus somewhere else for once? Might it not, in some cases, recognize that Someone else is in charge, and we are all merely servants? And doesn’t it put the responsibility right where it ought to be – with Someone who knows how to do it? With Someone who led by dying? With Someone who didn’t approach the world with bravado, but with humility? 

I know I frequently forget who my Someone is, and think I am supposed to be in the director’s chair. Then I fail to tune into those around me who, in particular situations, are called to lead me. Who is your Someone, and how will you humble yourself to allow Him or Her to lead? Who in your cadre of important folks might lead you? Or whose leadership might you support? Imagine the positive change that could emerge in our world if we actively sought to encourage the leadership and giftedness of those around us!

“Called” to Lead

Leaders lead best when they understand “calling” and “vision,” and when they find ways to align the two for themselves and for those who work for them. Leaders need to:

• Discover their “Calling” – know themselves, who they are, what most interests them and what they are best at. Sometimes we refer to this as their “calling” – where their greatest joy or desire meets a great need in the world or in their company or organization.
• Align their “Calling” with the Company Vision – Imagine how much more energy leaders would find for their work if they could discover ways for their personal “calling” to align with the company’s vision and values!
• “Call” their Reports – know what most interests those who work for them, where their greatest gifts and passions lie, OR
• Support their Reports’ Discovery of “Call” – invest time in helping their reports to discover their “sweet spot” or “calling.”
• Align their Reports’ “Calling” with the Company Vision – The same is true for employees as for leaders – that is, imagine the increased motivation for working for the company and reaching company goals if the employee’s sense of personal “Call” aligns with the company’s vision and their work responsibilities.
• Reflect Frequently – People are less stressed and more motivated when they are living their lives intentionally. But intentionality requires stepping back periodically and reflecting on vision, calling, and how best to align the two in one’s day-to-day workplace activities.
• Ensure Time for Small Group Reflection – Relaxed and intentional time also needs to be set aside for group reflection on vision, personal calling, and aligning the two for each person in the workgroup.

“Callings” or “sweet spots” engage the whole person: spirit, soul, intellect, emotion, and relationships. Creativity experts assure us that engaging the whole person is necessary for innovation, and that companies cannot survive in today’s business environment without making creativity part of the DNA of their organization (Tom Peters). Wouldn’t you like to work in an organization that called out and enabled your greatest and most heartfelt gifts? How about you take the first step in ensuring that those who work for you get that opportunity as well!

5 Ways to Become a “Spherical” Leader

Traditionally leaders have been perceived of as “above,” or “out in front” of their people. Spherical leaders, however, lead from out in front, from above, from behind, from underneath, and from beside, to fulfill various employee needs. Read below to discover which dimensions you might add in order to become an exceptional leader.

Out Front -- Holding Out the Vision

Leaders hold out the vision for the company or team or project in front of their teams, reminding us of where we are headed, inspiring us with the benefits of getting there, benefits that motivate us and keep us going during the more difficult times. Many of us forget about the importance of this part of leadership; and yet, the vision is what keeps us going or restarts our engines when we find ourselves dragging through the muck. Visionary leaders find unifying themes that inspire us, and remind team members frequently of the vision in order to inspire our best work.

Above -- Calling Upward

Leaders not only inspire us with the vision of where the team is headed, but offer us the reasons why we, in particular, should get on board with that vision. They focus us on our higher “Calling,” on the values that mean something to us, on the “spirit” that makes what we do something special and fulfilling, that makes life and work all worth it. Good leaders know us well enough to understand the values that inspire us personally, and they expect us to do what is optimal. They believe that each of us has special gifts or a “sweet spot” in our work, and they give us opportunities to actualize these fully.

Behind -- Pushing Forward

Leaders also ensure that the job gets done, checking in regularly, ensuring that we stay on task, stick to the schedule, take the require steps, and meet or exceed expectations. There may be a certain element of task-master in this role. And some employees may need more of a task master. But, as important as this role is at times, it can never take over completely. Seeing oneself as solely a task master neglects the important visionary and “calling” roles of a true leader, which should always come first in any endeavor.

Underneath -- Holding Up

No matter how inspiring a leader, or how much checking on tasks and schedules, no team will succeed without adequate resources. So leaders stay aware of the tasks at hand as well as the resources necessary for success – whether time, money, supplies, knowledge, workers with particular expertise, or energy. And when necessary, leaders advocate to ensure that resources are available to their team in a timely way.

Beside -- Comrades

No matter how important the job, how “called” the employees might feel about completing the job, many initiatives are difficult to accomplish or encounter difficulties. In such cases, leaders walk beside their people, sharing the pain, joining them in the trenches, offering resources, support, and time until the “pain” is past. They serve as an example to emulate.