“You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.” ― Zig Ziglar
…so give the people what they want -Ray Davies, The Kinks
I am sure all leaders sit through meetings where we ask— “How do we create, assess, mentor, and advise new leaders?” The topic is one that can fill volumes in any bookstore.
Many years ago it dawned on me. We are mired in a world full of crisis, complexity, and confusion, and we feed this C3 everyday—even when we don’t need to.
As leaders we create our own C3. What are the simple things those we lead require from us? I ask myself this often. Status quo leaders see their role simply as an employee-boss relationship. The relationship is purely transactional—one dimensional—money in exchange for labor. What a miserable existence.
If we truly want to be heroic leaders, there is much more. The true essence of heroic leadership exists in four simple concepts.
- Meaning: A heroic leader provides a vision that illustrates how people engage in a larger purpose outside of their tactical position. All people seek meaning in their work. As leaders, we must provide that.
- Contribution: Once the vision is shared and understood, people desire to contribute to the whole. Leaders must constantly emphasize the way in which individual work matters to the entire organization. To feel fulfilled, people must know that they are contributing to the greater organization- even outside of their immediate sphere of influence.
- Growth: Does any person REALLY seek to stay exactly where they are—forever? Heroic leaders create a culture that allows people to grow and expand.
- Love: Heroic leaders simply show true concern that is focused exclusively on that person’s good. The Greater Good (G2) Leader demonstrates constant care for those they lead and concern for their future.
Meaning + Contribution = Growth x Love
Now…that’s not so complicated—is it?
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