Being Called to Lead
It’s about more than just you
“To serve is to live.” — Alan Mulally, 2006
Leadership is a calling.
Not management. Leadership.
Management is about process: minding details, focusing on operations, achieving goals.
Leadership is about people: motivating and inspiring others to work toward a shared vision and long-term success.
Not everyone has the skills to be a manager; even fewer, I’d argue, have the ability to be a leader.
Those who find their purpose in leadership — their why, their reason for being — are people who have found a calling.
When we lead, we put ourselves in the service of others, and that is a calling — to place the needs of other people before your own.
For the typical personalities that are driven and motivated by success (A-type personalities, over-achievers, etc.), subjugating their ego can be a superhuman feat, as it’s natural to be inward-focused.
But true leadership means caring about others and wanting to help them succeed.
In my coaching practice, I work with leaders and their teams to focus on their character strengths and connect them with their purpose, helping them succeed. Can I help your team?
They Named a City After This Leader
Consider the legendary leader who retired from public life to work on his farm. He thought that after a long career serving his country, he would be able to enjoy rural life as a gentleman farmer.
However, he was called back into service when his country needed him again. This time, he was given the responsibility to lead the country, with no end date in sight. However, he did the unexpected: he gave up that power and returned to life on his farm.
In doing so, he was recognized for his humility, along with the honor and integrity he had been known for his entire career.
You might think I’m referring to George Washington, who left his army service after defeating the British to retire to his farm Mt. Vernon, and later had that retirement interrupted by two terms as the first president of the United States, choosing to withdraw from public life. You might think that.
But you’d be wrong.
You see, in this case, there was a startling precedent some 2,200 years before. In 458 B.C. following a military defeat, the Roman Senate authorized the nomination of a dictator — a king-like figure appointed by the Republic in times of extreme emergency.
A group of senators informed Cincinnatus of his appointment, finding him while he was plowing his fields. He served as dictator for only 16 days before stepping down — only long enough to see Rome through its crises.
Reluctant Leadership
The parallels between Cincinnatus and George Washington are obvious. But beyond their rise from private to public life and their place in our minds as legendary heroes of their respective countries, there's one thing that gets overlooked: their reluctance to even serve in the first place.
Neither of them wanted the job.
But both of them recognized that there was more at stake than their own wishes: the greater good.
They signed up to serve at the pleasure of their countrymen. To put themselves in service to something bigger than themselves.
Isn’t that something we all want? To be part of something bigger than ourselves.
To lead is to serve. To serve is to live.
There’s so much to learn,
Your post reminds me of another leader who was called to serve his country: John Adams. The limited series about his life, patriotism, and impact on our nation is worth watching repeatedly. Perhaps this July 4, I will again. Thanks for the timeless and timely posts, Scott. You, sir, embody leadership.