I’ve had three themes repeatedly popping into my head in the past week while thinking about developing as a leader.
Everything rises and falls on leadership
I am currently reading the book by Howard Zinn, “A People’s History of the United States.” He claims that history is always told through the eyes of nation states and their leaders. Zinn argues that this leaves out the common man. He writes his book from the viewpoint of the people. Although I see where he is going with this, traditional accounts of history are told through the eyes of the people who had the greatest impact on history. They were the movers and shakers of their generation. They made it happen. They led the way.
Which brings me back to my first theme.
Everything rises and falls on leadership.
Build it before you need it social networking
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore hired a new president last month. He comes from a background in politics and banking and knows almost every major business leader in Baltimore. With one phone call to a business leader he is able to secure more funding for the Zoo – gain support of key initiatives – or find an executive to bring into the organization as a vice president.
I admire his style and approach. He truly understands that people are everything. It took him years to forge these relationships in the community that now benefit the Zoo. He basically built a network of professional associates before he ever needed them.
In my life I am making it a point to connect with people. Notice I didn’t just say meet. I want to connect the dots between people that have no direct benefit to me. This is crucial in building a valuable network of people who trust and respect me. I want to add value to the lives of the people with whom I connect. I would hope that I will be viewed as someone that brings value to their lives.
Which brings me back to my second theme.
Build it before you need it.
Everything is personal
I don’t believe in keeping your professional and personal lives separate. In the day and age of 24/7 mobile broadcasting, blogs, Flickr, Twitter, and Google your two worlds are going to mix anyway. So why not at least control how they mix. Some people worry about getting fired. That’s a legitimate concern. My answer is to be the same person both as a professional and as friend.
I recently had a conversation with a business associate about this. He likes to keep his personal and professional lives separate. For example He doesn’t want his boss to see photos of him wasted at a party. I suggested that he doesn’t get wasted at a party and live the way he wants to represent himself at all times. This didn’t fly well. He didn’t want to give up that aspect of his life. Instead he has tried to control the flow of information about his personal life. I am eager to see how this plays out in a world where his name can be Googled by anyone.
Which brings me back to my third theme.
Everything is personal.
So these are three themes that have been swirling around in my head lately. Do you agree with them? Let me know what you think.
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Joel Mark Witt
