I decided to talk a little bit about leadership today because it’s a very misunderstood word.
Most people would consider leadership a “title” or something you get voted into. Under this scenario, government officials would be considered leaders along with DMV employees (heaven forbid). Also on the “leadership” list would be CEO’s and VP’s of Fortune 500 companies such as Enron, AIG and MCI Worldcom, just to name a few.
Leadership is so much more than a title or position someone holds. When I think of leadership, I think of Ghandi–who held no official office–and yet is known to be of the great leaders and thinkers in the annals of history. Ghandi made a decision that he would lead on his own. He did not ask for permission, he just did it. Steven R. Covey talks about Ghandi quite a bit in his audio series called “Beyond the 7 Habits.” I highly recommend it.
A good friend of mine, Kevin Hall, recently wrote a book called “Aspire”. You deserve to read this book about power of words and their meaning.(click here for link on Amazon.com) In that book, there’s a chapter on leadership, which frankly, blew me away. I won’t spoil all the fun for you if you decide to read the book, but basically leader stems from the word pathfinder. Pathfinders of ancient times were the ones who found food for the tribe, etc. They were the ones who could tell where the game was travelling. An entire village would depend on these “pathfinders”.
So it is in our day, leaders are the ones who go out and find the path for others to follow. But in order to find the path for others, one must know their own path. There is no title required for this, only a decision. A daily decision to do those things which will create the desired result.
The next time you catch yourself waiting for someone with a “title” to do something, think of the word “pathfinder” and know that it’s up to you.
