Journey of A Leader
The word, “Leadersmithing,” sounds so catchy and interesting. It made me wanted to rush into the book and find out exactly what it is or what does it mean. Then, I look closely at it, it has some similarities with words like locksmith and blacksmith in which I said to myself, “ha-ha,” I kind of made the connection. Locksmith, blacksmith and Leadersmithing, this possible has something to do with the leadership trade. “Leader-smithing: Revealing The Trade Secrets of Leadership,” by Eve Poole has a lot of valuable and essential elements of becoming and turning into a leader or becoming one in a leadership role. Therefore, when I try to visualize this concept of “leadership,” I think about the characteristics of a leader, but never the “process” of becoming of a leader.
“The person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country” is how Oxford Online Dictionary defines a leader (Oxford Online Dictionary). The general understanding of a leader is the one the followers like to follow. Most often an individual acquired followers because of his/her leadership characteristics. Or it could even be his/her personal characteristics that influence his/her leadership style. Christine Ruggeri from leaders.com listed in her article entitled, “7 Leadership Qualities All Effective Leaders Share,” the following description or characteristics: (a.) servant leader, (b.) lead with purpose, (c.) ethical behavior, (d.) problem-solving skills, (e.) effective communicator, (f.) vulnerability, and (g.) commitment to life-long learning (Ruggeri, Sept. 2022). In her article, she explained that these are common among successful leaders such like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, George Washington, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and others more. I believe these individuals may have been blessed with these, but they still have to learn them or honed them to be more effective. For instance, Moses before leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he was prep for the task by growing up in both the Egyptian and Israelites upbringing. He learned the Egyptian ways as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter; and he also learned his God-fearing way from his own people, his biological mother.
One concept that I got from Eve Poole from her book, Leadersmithing, is the concept of training the muscle memory of leadership for the right response. She also referred to these muscle memories as templets which would consider as automatic response to certain situation. So, how would we train our muscle memory as leaders to respond appropriately? There are so many resources, books, or articles out there that talks about how to be a leader or how to be a great leader? I can only speak for myself for I know myself more. I believe that trained leaders already have the theory and all they need is to learn is the how, the when, and the where to use them. And this is a continuous learning process. Dr. Peter G. Northouse of Western Michigan University said this in his best-selling academic textbook on leadership that, “Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2022).” I believe this “process” includes adjustments, re-aligning, or some kind of modification as well to the leadership to be able to achieve the goal.
I cannot give specific guidelines on “how to train your memory muscle of leadership,” however, I can only suggest some ideas to help optimize your ability to train your muscle memory of leadership. The following are borrowed from indeed.com: it says, “here’s some advice that can help you optimize the effectiveness of your leadership abilities… (a.) understand yourself, (b.) embrace your failure, (c.) be positive, and (d.) recognize (your team’s) success (Tips for being an effective leader, Feb. 2023).” I believe that each leader must the author of their own journey. Each got their own map to follow, therefore, each must travel the journey in order to be a journeyman, or even master to others.
Reference:
Leader. (n.d.) In Oxford Online Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/leader?q=Leader.
Northouse, Peter G (2022). Leadership (p. 46). SAGE Publications. Kindle Edition.
Ruggeri, C. (Sept. 2, 2022). 7 Leadership Qualities All Effective Leaders Share. Retrieved from https://leaders.com/articles/leadership/leadership-qualities.
Editorial Team (February, 2023) How To Be an Effective Leader: 16 Steps and Tips. Retrieved from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-be-an-effective-leader
About the Author
Noel Liemam
6 responses to “Journey of A Leader”
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Hi Noel, You wrote, “I think about the characteristics of a leader, but never the “process” of becoming of a leader.” That really grabbed my attention. I think it is easier to notice great qualities of other leaders and not necessarily notice what is developing those skills within ourselves. The process of becoming our own unique leader takes some intentionality and some noticing. What experiences in your life have had the unexpected benefit of exposing your unique leadership style and skills?
Thank you, Ms. Dooley, for the comment. This made me pay more attention to the fact that the great qualities that are displayed by great leaders are the results of conditioning or dedication to learning, not something achieved overnight.
Hello, Noel,
Thank you for your informative post. As you mentioned Christine Ruggeri’s list of leaders, it took my mind back to Robben Island in South Africa as we envisioned Nelson’s Mandela’s 18 years in the horrific prison there. I believe you were not able to come to South Africa, so let me recap what struck me so powerfully regarding his life of leadership, especially in the realm of lifelong learning. Even in prison, he committed himself to learn and grow. He would have innovative study groups when the guards were not looking and as they worked in the quarry. He not only learned himself continually but invested in teaching others every chance he had, even in the worst of circumstances. One article written by Karen MacGregor cited “Often when Mandela would introduce a person he would talk about his education, or he would talk about what he learned from that person, whether a friend or an enemy. There was a very specific emphasis on learning.”
There is so much we can gather from the patterns of living that these larger-than-life leaders possessed.
I ask you, myself, and our colleagues, does a posture of learning weave itself into the very fiber of our every day life, whether it is in a leader context or not?
“Nelson Mandela as an Exemplar of Lifelong Learning,” University World News, accessed February 18, 2023, https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=2015092514572690.
Thank you, Ms. Edwards, for the comments. I do agree that leadership is not only a process of learning, but a process of helping others learn.
“Training the muscle memory of leadership for the right response”…this stayed with me also. So much of growing in leadership is understanding that each person is motivated differently. The interactions, conversations, written communications really set the tone for how teams work together. I love the tips that you shared from Indeed.com. I would probably add “communicate with heart” to the list.
Ms. Jonita, thank you for that input. That would be an essential muscle memory to be trained,