A Post a Day in May #4: Leadership by the letter

I have pledged to write a new post for this blog every day in May. 

The concept of leadership is much on my mind, as there is such a dearth of it in our world today. Yes, individuals are in positions of leadership, but that does not make those individuals leaders. For it is their actions, not their position, that make them so. I agree with Margaret Wheatley that "leadership is a series of behaviours rather than a role for heroes."

L E A D E R S H I P: L is for LISTEN

Obviously, L should be for “lead” and maybe it will be, but not until all the other letters are defined and inhabited. Today, I’m making L for Listen. 

Photo by Emiliano Vittoriosi on Unsplash

First and foremost, leadership is about being with other people. No one can be a leader in isolation. If you’re on your own, you might be leading yourself -- and that’s good and necessary, but I’m thinking about leadership in relation to others. 

To be a leader means offering vision, support and value to others. Listening is the first step towards understanding what you can contribute to the context you’re in. 

Listening effectively takes effort, commitment and stamina. While it’s the first communication activity that we experience as newborns, active (aka, effective) listening is a learned skill that comes only with intention and practice. Listening is our most-used communication activity, yet it is the least-taught (see Ronald B. Adler). 

I offer these steps as the foundation for a path of leadership -- no matter what your position: 

• Listen to yourself: Know what’s in your head and in your heart before you speak or act
• Listen to others: The team will always outperform the individual, so seek and respect the input of those around you 
• Listen for what is being said: Things are said with words and also with tone; together, they present the full message 
• Listen for what is not being said: What is hidden in the silence of the unspoken? 
• Listen, again, within yourself: Think, mull, contemplate, and consider. Do the hard work of understanding what it all means.

Like so many responsibilities in our lives, much of the hard work lies below the surface, within our minds. I believe that leadership comes out of the quiet of listening -- to others and to oneself; only then can the noise generated by action be useful. 

Future posts will explore the other letters in the word LEADERSHIP.