Not What You Know, but Who You know.
In the world of networking and job searching we often hear the phrase, its not what you know but who you know tossed around when a job rejection comes across the table or a job offer for that matter. Advocated for networking will also point out this deep connection between knowing people and success. In leadership there is someone very important that every leader should know. Someone that can make or break leader’s success. Strong, impactful, and successful leaders know themselves! They understand who they are, their strengths, their weaknesses, and they needs as a leader and as a human being.
In his book “Leading out of Who You Are”, Simon Walker writes this statement at the very beginning of his book. “Leadership is about who you are, not what you know or what skills you have. Why is this? There are two reasons: leadership is about trust and it is about power.” Leaders can learn lots of skills, they can study millions of leadership books, they can participate in leadership training, but the most important thing a leader can know is about themself. Understanding who you are, where you came from, your dreams, your goals, your passion are all key to leadership growth. Knowing your personality and your tendencies when face with a challenge or set back gives you as a leader a better understanding of how you would respond in various contexts prepares you for what lays ahead.
Walker gives his readers numerous examples of leaders who had led well from this place of understanding themselves. They led powerful moments, reformations, and world changing outcomes. One of these leaders the author uses is Jesus and his story of leadership, humble servant leadership, and then his crucifixion. Jesus was counter cultural in his leadership style and his engagement with others as a leader. The type of leadership that Jesus modeled is a great example of empowering leadership.
With these models of leadership we can see the need to know, to understand, ourselves. When we are aware of our strengths, weaknesses, flaws, goals, passion… then we are able to embrace a type of leadership that builds trust and shares power. Leaders need the trust of their followers in order to become a leader and people are more willing to give this trust to someone who is confident in themselves and compassionate about those they lead. Then for a leader to have far reaching impact we have seen through out history leaders sharing the power, empowering their followers to care on the goals.
So, what does this mean for the future of equipping leaders?
What leaders know is only part of the equation. Leadership training, skills development, calendars and agendas with the right headings are helpful tools but not the key to building up new leaders. Focusing on personal development, emotional intelligence, self awareness, and healthy risk taking will build the type of leader that knows themself, values their followers, wants their leadership to be about solving the issues at hand rather then personal gain, and approaches leadership situations as what Walker would call an “undefended leader.”
Who do you know?
Simon Walker, Leading out of Who You Are: Discovering the Secret of Undefended Leadership (Carlisle: Piquant, 2007).
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