Leadership - In Everything We Do, All Of Us

It struck me recently how it is unfortunate we learn more Leadership, Corporate and Life lessons from the negative than we do from the positive.

I was reading an  article via LinkedIn by Marty Stowe, a North Carolina based VP of Client Services for TriNet.

He recounted a story when working as a sleep deprived over worked first year graduate auditor, of the behaviour of a Senior Partner towards him and his equally sleep deprived colleagues. The Senior Partner displayed a lack of empathy and an almost demeaning manner.

Marty Stowe vowed that day he would never do this if and when he became a Leader, and claims his subsequent success has in part been due to never wavering from the learnings of that day.

But what about Marty’s colleagues who were subjected to the same behaviour? I wonder what became of them?

Given we are inclined to copy the behaviours and examples of those in authority or who we perceive as being successful, it is reasonable to assume the majority of those exposed to the Partners behaviours that day reacted counter to Marty.

Given the above assumption is reasonable, the poor or negative behaviour by the Senior Partner form part of the legacy and behaviours of the majority of young professionals in the conversation  and therefore will magnify many times over as they too progress to roles of influence.

There is not much we can do about these people now.

There is much we can do, to better influence others.

Whether we like it or not, we are all in leadership roles. Some may be more obvious or formal by way of the careers we pursue and the titles we achieve. In many more cases, it is the role we have as Parents, as Partners, as Siblings and as Sons and Daughters. It may be in sporting teams, service clubs, charitable activities and as volunteers.

In all roles in life, it is easy to criticise, it is better to comment constructively; it is easy to point out what is being done incorrectly, it is better to help another or show another person the better way to do it; It is easy to tell, it is better to teach.

We all lead, we all influence.

We can do so constructively or destructively.

We can change the world around us, a hundred at a time.