Leadership Notes -- Thoughts on Leading People and Making a Difference in Organizations

Word count this issue: 391

Estimated reading time:   2.15 minutes 

On a coaching call with a client recently, I asked her to tell me about a time where she was the leader she knew she could be. It was a wonderful conversation. As she spoke about this time in her career, she said, very clearly and confidently, “I felt in charge of me.”

I had shivers when she said it. We explored her statement some more, and she spoke of how she was aware of her strengths, as well as her weaknesses. She was confident in her strengths and skills, and had put people around her, with complimentary strengths and skills. And she was giving responsibility to others and they developed themselves. She said, “it was a good time.”

I was reminded of an old Rabbinic story that I might have mentioned before, but like any good story, always bears repeating. 

The Czar’s army is being reviewed by the Czar himself, prior to going into battle. They have surrounded an enemy stronghold and the Czar on his horse is trotting down the front line. A soldier in his army sees an enemy archer on the ramparts of the stronghold, take aim and release his arrow. It is heading straight for the Czar. The soldier breaks out of his rank and jumps in front of the Czar’s horse, which rears up. The arrow then misses the Czar and lodges itself, ‘thrump’ harmlessly into the ground. 

The Czar immediately recognizes what the soldier has done and thanking him says, “ask for whatever you would like, and it shall be yours.”

The soldier thinks for a moment and says, “I would like a new sergeant. The one we have is mean, bad and we have no respect for him.”

The Czar looks down at the soldier and says, “Why not be your own sergeant?”

Why not indeed? The power inherent in being in charge of ourselves, being our own sergeant is a deep foundation of great leadership. The ability to know oneself, to have confidence in one’s own strengths and the humility to know one’s challenges. To empower others to be the best they can be. That is the kind of leadership we can all have and be in our organizations.