Dreams. This dream, The Compass, has
been realized and is now complete. It
was a BIG dream, and it came true. I
have a few others, which have grown out of this one, but I am so happy I
could share it with you. Sure, I could
write a bunch more on leadership, what Lieutenant Commander couldn’t? However, it is time for a change; this
will be my last article for The Compass.
I urge you all to continue this dialog within your stewardships, and,
to continue to Practice Leadership. I would even go so far as to empower you by
suggesting that we continue this column; however, let’s enrich this on-going
discussion by hearing from the White Hats, the Chiefs, or even members of our
own families; whoever would be willing.
This dream has come true through just a suggestion. Captain Smith empowered me like I've never
been before in the Navy. Just imagine
where we could be in our roles as Information Warriors with this type of
empowerment as we create positive change for the future! In whatever you dream about, dream
BIG, and often, and share the dream!
A
circle. A circle has no beginning and no
end; it’s continuous. For those of you
who are married, think of the rings given to your spouse. The symbolism is simple, yet powerful: the
ring is meant to represent the marriage and the love for the spouse; it has no
end. Such is the symbolism for leadership;
it should be continuously practiced and given out of love for those we lead and
those we follow. This "ring"
should be considered seamless and forged in the fires of grace, faith, dreams,
and love. The commitment, as in
marriage, should last forever to the role and the people it surrounds. The possession should be fueled with passion
and passed to the seven generations around us. This ring should be considered the
most precious personal possession we have in leadership, and it should never
end.
Grace
(faith and belief). By definition, grace
is “undeserved love”. This is a quality,
not necessarily and Essential Element, that all leaders should
possess. Why? Simply put, grace covers a multitude
of mistakes, errors, and failures. Without grace, the world would be a
different place and we would not give those we lead, and follow, the benefit
of the doubt that grace offers to all.
It’s the “forgiveness blanket”; covers everything. And there’s faith too, which is a quality
leaders should possess, which works well with grace. Ensign Sickler, who drafts this newsletter, a
long time ago, mentioned what he believes “faith” is. He said, “Leadership is faith; and inspiring
like faith in others. Ninety-nine
percent of everything is belief. Ergo,
ninety-nine percent of leadership is inspiring others to believe.” With grace, belief in yourself, i.e.
inspiring faith in those who follow you, leadership can influence greatly. Again, think of Martin Luther King. What simple grace and faith he inspired, and
what influence he holds in all of us, to this day; a true leader.
The
Leadership Toolbox. Here’s a
brief summary of what we’ve talked about.
Setting the example: we are visible in all that do and say. Care and Feeding: are the needs of
those we lead taken care of? Vision:
what do you see ahead, and, are you telling those who follow? Communication and Questions Leaders Ask
Themselves: do it—communicate!—keep asking; what do we hear and what can we
learn? Attitude and Role Models: Absolutely
Superb! and, who are yours? Practicing
Leadership and Leading Yourself: think of a ring; continuously practiced
and being personally mindful of our roles.
Followership: trust, Care & Feeding, expectations, legacy. Training
Those Who Would Replace You: develop, mold, plant seeds, teach, think
win-win, plan for the future, and give gifts.
Legacy: what will you leave behind? Change, Dreams, a Circle, Some Grace and
To Go: perspective and learning; think big; seamless!; forgiveness. (A note
about Delegation, Empowerment, Reward, Integrity, elements we did
not cover. My intent was to cover
“mindful” thoughts; a humble discussion.
These are larger ideas and did not fit within the framework of this
discussion, yet I'll define them succinctly: Delegation is trust in those
who follow. Empowerment is giving
the gift of freedom; wings. Reward
is meant to be immediate and with meaning.
Integrity is being honest with yourself and others.) Now, if we could only “package” these
ideas! Hmmm…
To
go. Well, think of the versatility
of leadership like this: anytime, anytime you need to
"whip-out" some leadership, think of this "toolbox" and
"visit" some "whoop-leadership" where it needs to go. In Navy-ease, ah-hem, you've heard of a can
of "whoop-_ _ _" (won't repeat that word here), well, this is a can
of whoop-leadership and can be "visited" on whomever, or
wherever it needs to go. Huh,
“leadership in a can”. Novel idea and
perfect for a Sailor.
Thanks. And finally some humble thanks. “The first responsibility of a leader is to
define reality. The last is to say thank
you. In between the two, the leader must
become a servant and a debtor. (Max
DePree, Leadership is an Art, p. 11)
From the beginning, I felt I owed you my innermost thoughts and feelings
on leadership, my own personal “mindful” leadership. Max DePree talks about “what is owed” by a
leader, which is very much, a part of what I believe in regarding Servant
Leadership. What I felt I owed was a
reflection of what is in my leadership-soul and what has been in my thought
life for quite a long time. This has
been my personal gift to you. It
is my undeserved love, my grace for all those you lead, and those who
follow. For this opportunity, I thank
Captain Smith and Ensign Sickler who have had a lot of “grace” for me too. However, for me, it goes without saying, I
love Chiefs, and I thank them for planting this seed so long ago. Thank you all for the gifts you have given
me, and I wish you all fair winds and following seas. Keep dreaming. Keep practicing. Serve others.
Be mindful. Give gifts. Allow freedom. Care and feed.
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