I have shared at times my childhood
ambition of becoming a General in the United States Army. You may not know that the wallpaper in my
bedroom proudly displayed the storied 1st Cavalry Division
insignia. It is a gold shield trimmed
with black piping. There is a black
horsehead in the upper right and a bold black strip centered diagonally
dividing the emblem from upper left to lower right.
I recall vividly my first
uniform. I was five or six. I was set!
Then, a serious reality check.
In only the way a mother can, she
informed me that I could not start as a General. I would have to work my way
through the ranks. I was crushed.
Little would I know just how
profound my mother really was with "you can't start as a General."
Thirty some years later and several different roles (ranks) in leadership I now
more than ever appreciate the wisdom of "earning" as well as learning
about leadership - how to follow as well as how to lead - how to serve rather
than being served.
There is a growing impatience; a
sense of entitlement; a sense that experience, wisdom, humility, service, and
followership, to name just a few qualities, attributes, and “learnings”
essential to leadership can be skipped, rushed, or abbreviated.
Not that any of these ensures
effective and productive leadership, they are however time tested as requisite
experiences leaders have possessed and demonstrated.
I was recently asked how I learned
what I know. As I pondered this question I thought, "How do I answer
this?" As I prepared a response, my mind raced through the five decades
plus of life to think through the people, experiences, situations, places,
events, etc., of my life's learnings.
Wow!
I have had some incredible
opportunities and experiences. I have worked for and with giants in education,
military, business, faith, and public service. I humbly stand on the shoulders
of these giants every day.
So, how did I learn what I know?
First and foremost, it does go
back to my mother. She taught me to never think myself better than others,
never ask someone to do something I would not do myself, and always remember
that a ladder goes both ways – up and down. These proverbs grounded in a love
for learning, reading and writing served as a pretty solid foundation to learn
to lead.
The second to what my mother
instilled in me were the lessons my father would teach through his life and
athletics. The three sports I grew up playing were baseball, basketball, and
football - go figure.
It was not so much the specific
sports I played but rather the positions I played that added to mother's
foundation. I was a catcher, point guard, and quarterback.
Hmm ... each of these positions
required an awareness, understanding, and application of not just my position,
but also every other position. My father would take time after every contest or
game and ask me about situations, my thinking about decisions, what I would do
differently, etc.
Through review and reflection I
learned to constantly and consistently plan, strategize if you will, based on
multiple points of input, feedback and data. I learned to anticipate, adjust, adapt, and
“think.”
In doing so, my father taught me the
power of patterns, “connectiveness,” how the game was played, how systems
worked, and the interdependence of different positions, situations, and
resources. He may have never thought of the long-term leadership impact of his
actions. I am convinced he was just teaching and coaching his sons - these
lessons however have been invaluable in my leadership development.
As I stated earlier, I stand daily
on the shoulders of giants. One giant, Dr. Glen Terrell (retired President of
Washington State University) challenged me in my mid twenties with a series of
profound questions that candidly left me speechless. He asked me,
"Who will be the leaders of
your generation?”
“If not you, then who?”
“If not here, where?” and,
“If not now, when?"
Pretty intimidating questions at
any age - I have never forgotten that conversation or those questions.
As I share in the weeks to come
just how profound these questions were as well as the role they've played and
still play in my life I am confident that I will indeed answer the question,
"How did I learn what I know."
It is my best hope in answering
this question I will not only add to the body of knowledge about leadership
development, but will provide insight to the what, why and how of our work now
and in the future.
We do in fact have miles to go and
promises to keep!
