What Is Leadership?
Many of you loved Simon Sinek’s Start With Why TEDx talk.
I love the way Simon Sinek thinks. It’s no surprise, then, that his TED Talk on leadership could be the greatest definition of leadership I’ve ever heard.
Please watch and share. I have some thoughts and a poll following. [ted id=1998]
Contrasts give greater clarity. Sinek’s contrast between military leadership and business leadership says a lot about the state of American business.
[olympus_highlight color=“yellow”]You know, in the military, they give medals to people who are willing to sacrifice themselves so that others may gain. In business, we give bonuses to people who are willing to sacrifice others so that we may gain. We have it backwards[/olympus_highlight]
Ouch. It hurts because it’s true.
Do you want to work for a company whose leaders eat first? Or a company whose leaders eat last?
Do you want to work for a company that gives awards to people who sacrifice themselves for others? Or a company that gives awards to people who sacrifice others?
If we want a better company and a bette country, we need to start choosing better leaders. Leadership is not about speaking your mind. Leadership isn’t what you say at all. Leadership is what you do.
Choose Your Leaders Carefully #
In America, we choose our leaders. We choose the companies we work for. We choose the people who hold high office.
Before we ask about a candidate’s ideological purity, doesn’t it make sense to ask of every candidate: would this man or woman eat last?
If you could not imagine a candidate running into a fire fight to rescue his or her subordinates, why in God’s name would you ever put them into high office? Why would you choose a leader who would sacrifice you or your children for his or her gain or comfort?
This Week’s Poll #
Which candidate for President and Missouri Governor do you believe is most likely to eat last?
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