Spring Leadership

Its April and Spring has arrived, my favorite time of year. Its not just the change in weather that makes this a wonderful time of year, but also the change that happens in everything and everyone around us. It doesn’t matter what you do, the start of the second quarter of the calendar year means we shift gears up and push the gas pedal on whatever it is we are trying to achieve in our lives.

Looking back, one area that always seems to go into high gear in Spring is leadership. I’m not talking about the contemporary mundane stuff leaders of organizations do – off sites, conferences, Ra-Ra get-togethers (once you have been to one you have been to all of them) – but rather individuals who seize the opportunity in front of them to put their leadership on the line and the fate or fortune of others depends on what they do. It’s a time when everyone, not just anointed leaders, are faced with decisions that could make a difference to both their individual and collective situations.

The definition of leadership is not essential in my view, indeed it may be impossible to arrive at one. I believe leadership signifies the act of making a difference. It could mean changing a failed strategy or turning around a dwindling organization. It requires us to make an active choice among plausible alternatives. And it depends on bringing others along, on mobilizing them to get the job done. Leadership is at its best when the vision is strategic, the voice persuasive, and the results tangible.

I was discussing this topic with some friends recently and two things struck me when reflecting back on the conversation. First, everyone was in agreement with some of the views on leadership discussed above, I mean they really believe in leadership as a key piece of what makes the fabric of society work. They discussed the heroics of Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Mother Theresa and many others from history who have demonstrated incredible moments of leadership that has impacted the lives of many. Everyone agreed that had these individuals failed at those key moments then the world would likely be worse off.

The second observation that struck me is that everyone in our little discussion believed leadership was something only a few ever have to experience. The group believed that leadership comes with the territory when you have big responsibilities, be it as an appointed leader of a country, a CEO of a big business, an Employer, a Coach of a sports team, a Professor or a Teacher. They did not recognize some of the decisions that each of us have to take in our daily lives as leadership moments.

And this is what got me thinking about Spring and how it signifies moments of leadership based on my experiences. I looked back at some of the leadership moments that have greatly impacted me, and they didn’t always come from appointed leaders.

I remember the classmate in First Grade who sensed how scared I was my first day at a new school in a new country where I didn’t speak the language, and he sat with me during break and shared his snack with me (I didn’t know we had snack time and had to bring our own).

I remember Freshman hazing on the football team and how Senior players failed at their leadership moment by breaking the spirits of so many Freshmen that we lost a few good men to the sport forever.

And I remember the most junior member of my team knocking on my door one fine Spring day to give me an incredible lesson in humility that must have taken a lot of courage – she has gone on to become a very successful leader in the organization we both worked at.

Leadership is not about your title or responsibility, its about making the right decision at the right time, no matter how difficult. Many of us are faced with these moments, the question is do we grasp them? Do we go for it? Do we stand by our convictions and see it through? I am curious to hear your thoughts on this topic. In the organizations that I work with I see examples of people stepping up to the occasion and I equally see examples of people failing to grasp their leadership moment.

Our failure to lead has a price, and I’m not sure we understand the magnitude of it. Lead. It will be okay.