A CALL FOR MORE DEEP LEADERS

I was sailing with a few friends in the San Francisco Bay a few years ago with the intent to sail under the Golden Gate Bridge and out into the open seas. Before reaching the iconic bridge, suddenly a huge gust of wind hit our sails and we heeled over so far the water was rushing into the cockpit. It felt like we were going over.

Until we didn't.

A sailboat is designed to have more weight below the waterline than above it. Thank you, keel. That huge "weight" attached to the bottom of the boat is what provides a counterbalance to the force of the wind. It takes an uncanny amount of wind to knock a sailboat completely over. And even then it can often right itself. More weight below the waterline. That's called ballast.

Richard Foster, one of the great spiritual writers and teachers of the 20th century, made this statement (quoted in my book "The Strategic Stop: Taking Back Your life in a World Obsessed with Busyness").

“The desperate need today is not for a great number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”

He's referring to the importance of paying more attention to what is "below the waterline" of our lives than to what's above. His call is for leaders to intentionalize personal development, character depth, integrity, wisdom; rather than a mono-focus on the things people can see--the outward appearance. We create more ballast and internal weight with this strategic focus.

Our positive impact on the people around us--our teams and peers, our families and friends--is directly determined by our personal ballast and depth.

Character. Wisdom. Vision. Integrity. Honesty. Compassion. Kindness. Empathy. Courage. Persistence. Authenticity. These are developed first on the inside and then revealed on the outside.

What practices do you engage in regularly to deepen your internal world, your character and authentic self?

2 Leadership Lessons from the Grand Canyon

It’s hard to express with adequate words the awe & wonder of the Grand Canyon & Colorado River. The Grand Canyon is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world and I can see why.

Majestic. Stunning. Rugged. Ancient. Raw. Massive. Prehistoric. Beautiful. Exquisite. Bold. Fierce. Unforgiving.

As a result, our 7 day trip through the Canyon produced some transformational experiences for me—here are 2 that stand out:

1. Be unplugged more. It was incredibly centering & grounding to my mind, heart, body, and soul to be off-the-grid for a full week. The simplicity of life in the wild is profound—a reminder of how much we can live without in our need to survive and even thrive in the world. We wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, drink water, go hiking and rafting, eat snacks, drink water, have conversations throughout the day, set up camp, eat supper, drink water, apply body lotion to dried up skin, go to bed, and sleep. A fundamental existence.

   Yet the beauty of the stars at night, the sunsets, sunrises on the massive rock monuments all around, blooming desert foliage & creatures, sun and blue sky, cold refreshing wild emerald river—all these wonders are worth soaking into one’s psyche at every moment. It just can’t happen in a worthwhile way if we’re continually distracted by all we plug into in our daily lives.

2. Be more present. Both the absolute silence among the rocks as well as the roaring water and wind kept me focused on the present moment. When you’re doing rock climbing up a slot canyon, all you’re thinking about is the vital body positioning & leveraging of your strength or else you drop to the stream or rocks below. Present moment. When you’re in the midst of the violent rapids, you’re focused on hanging on for dear life. The exhilaration & adrenaline of working hard to survive & succeed in this environment keeps you going on. Be Here Now is the natural motto.

One of the many beautiful waterfalls in the Grand Canyon. The water was freezing cold but so refreshing!

I was reminded daily how significant it is to be fully present in the moments of life. How much unnecessary energy we use up obsessing over the past or the future. We lose the joys of the present moments.

One of the keys to good leadership is empowering our people to experience the Now in tangible & productive ways. To be present with each other. To listen to each other. To appreciate and respect each other. To express gratitude for each other's positive contributions to right now. And to do this, leaders need to be unplugged during moments with their teams. Don’t let your technology or other distractions keep you from focusing on your people in the important moments of their daily lives.

Imagine what a game changer this would be for the culture of our teams & workplaces. Be Here Now. Unplugged. "In this moment we have everything we need." Let's lift ourselves & each other up. That's what good leaders do.

“In this moment I have everything I need.” So Be Here Now.

Leadership Is A Team Sport

If there's anything we've learned the last few years in our country it's that successful leadership is a team sport not an individual event. The days of the leader as the lone super-hero who's come to save the world are over!

Effective leadership has moved away from the "follow me because I know everything" to "I'm here to help you be your best, so what I can do for you? And together let’s fulfill our mission!"

Halla Tómasdóttir, CEO of The B Team, investor, co-founder of Reykjavik University, and runner-up in Iceland’s 2016 presidential elections, describes this kind of leadership most needed in our current times:

“What this crisis has shown us is that the leadership style of ‘I know it all’ is not a good leadership style for this moment or any other challenge we are going to continue to face and need to deal with collectively, collaboratively, with compassion, and with care. Leadership is not given to the few — it’s inside of all of us, and life is all about unleashing that leadership.”

Collaborative leadership--when it's centered in compassion, empathy, mutual respect, honor and trust--always produces the best, most innovative, most transformational results for everyone.

Leadership is a team sport!