Beacons

There was a time in my life when the idea of leadership was as arbitrary as the national deficit.  I realize that makes me sound pretty unsophisticated.  The whole statement.  But let’s be honest, I live on an income that keeps me clinging, at best, to the very darkest depths of lower middle class.  So, yeah, the mere thought of 17 TRILLION dollars is just a little outside of the scope of my reality.  The same was true for the idea of leadership when I was 18 years old. 

If you grew up anything like I did, leadership wasn’t a concept, it was a position.  Parents.  Teachers.  Coaches.  Those people were your leaders and you did what they told you.  It was that simple.  And as a young adult, I was none of those things.  So, I had no idea what leadership meant.  But after growing up believing that leadership was appointed by status, I had no problem believing my company commanders when they talked about leadership and followership.  It was made very clear that leaders earned their position.  They told us you could always identify a leader by the collar device and the pay check that substantiated their brass.  They also made it very clear that we were to be followers.  And good followers, eventually would be leaders.  I don’t remember if they said good leaders, or just leaders.  But, it didn’t really matter.  The point was very clear:  Follow first, lead later.  It seemed to be the natural order of things.  So, I was cool with that. 

As time passed, and I had real jobs with actual bosses, my idea of leadership surprisingly didn’t really evolve.  I did learn, with experience, that there were two kinds of bosses.  1.)  The kind of boss you wouldn’t take water from in the desert.  2.)  The kind of boss who you would pay to give your water to in the desert.  I didn’t really understand the difference.  After all, leadership wasn’t earned, it was appointed.  Deciphering the good and the bad was irrelevant.  Both kinds were leaders, and, thus, should be followed. 

Then I got older, and better educated (marginally), and more schooled by life, and I started to realize the difference: leadership is not a position, it’s an ideology.  That’s weird, right?  How do you obey a concept?  Well, you can’t.  But you can EMBRACE a concept.  That’s what good leaders do.  That’s also what good leaders instill in the people they lead.  They teach how to embrace an idea, a philosophy, a concept. 

As usual, I told you that story, so I could tell you this story.  This morning I called an old friend because I needed some feedback.  I didn’t call him because I needed leadership or advice.  I called him for his opinion.  And during the course of the conversation, we talked about a lot of things.  Life, location, economy, employment.  The things you always talk about with old friends when you haven’t seen them in a while.  It wasn’t an extraordinary conversation, but it was real.  Which, I guess, kind of makes it extraordinary. 

At one point, I said, “while I was waiting to call you, I was perusing your blog.”  Pause in conversation. Tim said “Really?”  I laughed, because I know that response.  It’s the same response i give when people tell me they are reading what I write.  It’s always the same:  “Really?”  I said “YES!!!  It’s AMAZING!  And I want everyone I know to read it.”  And I do.  Really. 

I first met Tim when he was the Executive Petty Officer at station Golden Gate.  I knew he was a boss the first time I met him.  He has that look.  He carried himself with an air of confidence, but still couldn’t hide the experience in his eyes.  I knew who he was immediately, but our encounters that followed proved his purpose.  

There were times that I needed his help, when he stopped what he was doing do make sure my  questions were answered.  There were times when I needed a resource, that he provided me with feedback I required.  There was that time, when I had to address a personnel issue, and my hands trembled as I dialed the number to tell him that there was an ugly encounter between one of his and one of mine, and I didn’t want it to turn into an international incident.  Before I could utter another word, he said “I’ll take care of it, Ang.”  Thank God.  Because I didn’t want to.  I didn’t even want to make the call in the first place. 

With all of that said, Tim’s project is called the “Fog of Leadership.”  I was surprised to read some of what he said about his own journey.  On the other hand, I am not at all surprised that he has delved into processing the idea of leadership.  Because I knew the first time I saw his face that he was a leader.  EVERY.  SINGLE.  INTERACTION.  Reiterated that about him.  Even after Tim left the Bay Area, I’d run into people who worked for him, (or as Tim would say, “people I worked with”)  I’d see those people and I’d say “How’s Mr. Woody?”  They’d always look back at me, a little confused, a lot enchanted, and say “Awesome.”  In every encounter with those people, I’d say “So, he’s the same?”  Then, I’d smile to myself as I walked away. 

So, anyway, read it.  Read Tim’s blog “Fog of Leadership.”  If anyone gets it, that guy does.  It doesn’t matter where you work.  It doesn’t matter who you work for.  His message is important and relevant.  It doesn’t matter where you are or where you are going.  We all talk about how leadership (or the lack thereof) is hindering who we should be, individually and socially.  But we never talk about how to get to where we want to be.  We never talk about adversity or knowledge or thinking for ourselves.  But this guy does.  Read it.  www.fogofleadership.com

-Inner Peas