A recent New York Times article raised an interesting question, “Can you learn to lead?” The article focuses on business schools’ obsession with “leadership” after the idea of “management” lost it’s social cachet. But this obsession isn’t only confined within the halls of business schools, it’s everywhere you look.
Deloitte’s 2015 Global Human Capital Trends lists leadership as one of the most pressing talent issues facing global organizations. Retired U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal published a book, Team of Teams, which compliments one of his consultancy group’s offerings — CrossLead, a leadership and management system. McKinsey & Company published research that “decodes” leadership into the most effective types of behaviors. And there’s more where that came from.
But I like to keep things simple. One of my mentors, Hermann Peterscheck, uses the movie Braveheart as a case study for a different philosophy on leadership: stop worrying about it and just do it.
In the movie, William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson) is an example of a leader who doesn’t obsess about leadership. He does things he believes in and people follow him. In contrast, Wallace’s counterpart, Robert the Bruce, thought about leading instead of actually leading. Here’s a quote from the movie that sums it up:
Robert the Bruce: I’m not a coward. I want what you want, but we need the nobles.
William Wallace: We need them?
Robert the Bruce: Aye.
William Wallace: Nobles. [laughs a little]
William Wallace: Now tell me, what does that mean to be noble? Your title gives you claim to the throne of our country, but men don’t follow titles, they follow courage. Now our people know you. Noble, and common, they respect you. And if you would just lead them to freedom, they’d follow you. And so would I.
Wallace had to literally beg Robert to lead his people. Like you, I’ve seen many people like Robert fail to lead because they overthink leadership. The New York Times article concludes with a brilliant quote,
“the lack of agreement on the matter means that leadership is practically ‘anything anyone wants to say it is,’ and leaders are ‘anyone who is so designated.’”
I’m an “anyone” so here’s my recommendation on a simpler way to lead.
Wallace’s wife is killed by an English commander1) Figure out what you want to do and understand why you want to do it.
Wallace never liked English rule but he tolerated it. That all changed when his wife was murdered by the English. Wallace was motivated by nationalism and revenge, and his followers knew that.
Compare his understanding and acceptance of his motivations versus many of us. Higher education is supposed to be the place where young people go to figure out what to do. However, experimentation and exploration are often supplanted by the chase: vying for that entry-level position in a conventional career (investment banking, management consulting, and dare I say tech too?) They get the job, start climbing the ladder, and most people eventually realize that they hate their jobs, because it is — a “job.”
Some people quit and go to graduate school to get a “reset” on their life but end up jockeying for mid-level positions in yet another conventional career. Start climbing again and a whole decade of your life can be gone in a blink of an eye.
I’m advocating for dedicating some time to really exploring what you want to do with your life. The “what” you pick should resonate with you beyond purely financial reasons. Stewart Butterfield, CEO of Slack, sums it up best in his “Rules of Business” post:
“If you are just out to make money, god bless: I hope you make some money. If you just want awards or recognition or for others to think highly of you, I hope you get that too. But I don’t think anyone is really satisfied by fame or fortune. I find it incredibly satisfying (and gratifying, rewarding and pleasant) to honestly have done the best job I could have done on something and I believe that works for everyone else too. Being skillful and exercising your mastery is what you’re here to do. Doing anything less undermines the whole point of being alive.”
In summary, don’t be this guy (long read, save for later).
It’s. About. To. Go. Down.2) Partner with like-minded people
If you are doing something that truly resonates with you, you will probably end up meeting like-minded people. Wallace rebels against the English and as his legend spreads, other Scottish clans join him.
This is how things work in companies too. I bet you know someone who is leading a new initiative that you want to be a part of. We’re naturally drawn toward things we want to work on — and that’s how it’s supposed to work. Gone are the days when companies tell you what to do.
There are people who are more caught up with figuring out if they should lead rather than just working with like-minded people. Don’t worry about leadership selection, it will take care of itself.
Leadership is action, not position.
3) Just Do It
By doing what you believe in, people will look past the title that you were given and be inspired by what you can give.
Don’t let your dreams be dreams. Wallace didn’t wait until tomorrow to raze that English garrison. And neither should you.