A few days ago, an old teacher of mine reached out. She was struggling with her building principal and was sharing how she was feeling alone and unsupported. “I mean,” she said in a moment of exasperation, “Leadership is simple. Not easy, but simple.”
“How so?” I asked.
“Support your people,” she replied.
And I have not been able to get that out of my head. As a principal, father, husband, and friend.
Dan Allender defines a leader as “anyone who wrestles with an uncertain future on behalf of others - anyone who uses her gifts, talents, and skills to influence the direction of others for the greater good.”
Which means, everyone is a leader. Everyone. Yet, so often we miss our opportunities to lead, influence others, and make an impact toward the greater good because we’re distracted by being busy. Which, according to Allander, is the moral equivalent to laziness.
Being busy seems like the polar opposite of laziness, but a busy person is not so much active as lost. A lazy person does little to nothing while a busy person does almost everything, but the similarity is that both refuse to be intentional.
They refuse to be courageous.
Courageous to step into hard conversations with their staff, spouse, children, or friends.
Courageous to be open about their struggles, failures, and gaps in abilities.
Courageous to step into situations of vulnerability.
I know I’m guilty of this.
When I get busy with projects and tasks I can accomplish a lot of things, making myself feel productive, needed, and important. So too does my exhaustion. “I worked so hard today,” I can say to myself as I doze onthe couch while my kiddos clean up after dinner.
And I did. I accomplished a lot. But did I lead or support anyone?
Now, I know you might be saying, “Getting that to-do list IS supporting your staff, family, or community.” And it is. But, like most things, it is also incomplete. If I spend my entire day on my to-do list, I accomplish a lot but miss out on so much more. I miss out on wrestling with the uncertain future of others.
Recently, alongside my “to-do” list, I have added a “to-be” list.
The tasks on my to-do list are menial. They keep the building or house in order, and running smoothly. The items on my to-be list are the important conversations or interactions I must have in order for the greater good to be accomplished - they are the things that remind us what we’re here for! They are not the things I must do but the HOW I must do them.
Things like:
To be present in my conversations, not looking at my phone or thinking of the things that need to get done.
To be purposeful in my gratitude and acknowledgment of others.
To be mindful of stories told so I can remember them, refer to them later, and understand those around me better.
To be patient with the struggling kindergartner knowing full well he does not come from a healthy home.
To be silent with my children, allowing them space to share their hearts rather quickly jumping in and “solving” their problems.
To-do lists provide those we lead with the things they want.
To-be lists provide them with the things they need: intentionality, purpose, and courage. To-be lists require us to stop doing They require us to be human. And for many of us - for me for sure - that is what makes them so difficult.
It’s also what makes leadership most rewarding. Because it allows us to lead, walk with, and be guided by others as we all continually strive toward the greater good.
That’s what I’ve been thinking about this week.
Happy Friday!
#doGREATthings!
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