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

Word count this issue: 269

Estimated reading time:   1.5 minutes

I was working with my editor recently, and in the conversation we were exploring the question ‘who am I.’ This is an ancient and deep question for leaders. For example, in the Hebrew Bible, Moses meets the “Burning Bush” Moses asks ‘who are you?’. The reply from within the bush is YHWH or Yahweh. And here’s the really interesting part, YHWH can be translated into English as “I am who I am” or, “I am who I will be.” 

A challenge for us as leaders is what do we mean by our own answer to the question, ‘who are you?’ Does our answer imply a certain static stability when you say, ‘this is who I am?’ It might even be ‘this is who I  am, take it or leave it.’  Might it be better for all of us as leaders to be ‘becoming’, in a way, our own “I am who I will be?” To recognize, especially in the midst of a dramatically changing economic and social landscape, that we are becoming, rejuvenating, re-creating, emerging all of the time. To recognize that the leader you are in 6 months will be that much better, that much more experienced than the leader you are today?

I’d love to hear your thoughts to the questions, who are you? Are you being, or becoming? In the meantime, may this week, be filled with learning so that you and I might each be that much better as leaders next week.