“True leaders understand that leadership is not about them but about those they serve. It is not about exalting themselves but about lifting others up.” – Sheri L. Dew
One of the most important lessons I learned from my more than 30 years of being a leader is that in leading people, it’s always more of them and less of you. But this realization did not come instantly and automatically when I embarked on my leadership role. During my early years as a leader, my first focus was about me: What do I need to learn? How can I be the best leader? What must I do to achieve the goals of the team? What skills do I need to acquire and develop? It’s all about I, me and myself.
I was under the notion then that in order for me to effectively lead my people, my priority should be to be the best version of myself in order to represent my team. I would always do the difficult tasks, lead the discussions, spearhead projects, liaise with other teams and do all the other heavy lifting stuff. I had the tendency to shield my people from the pressures only to realize later that in doing so, I was also depriving them the chance to grow and be recognized. Yes, we were achieving results but perhaps not everyone in the team then felt they have grown and have contributed.
As the years go by, I learned and experienced that our team became more effective and successful when as a leader, I stopped focusing on myself and started focusing more outside myself. As a leader, I took on the responsibility of finding the potential in people and had the courage to develop that potential. Some of my senior team members were my former colleagues and we’re almost of the same age group. They’re all very good in what they do and have the potential to assume and take over my role and position. Perhaps if I was still the immature and insecure leader that I was decades ago, I would have put them in the background so that the focus will just be on me. I would have denied them the exposure and limelight so I will be the only rockstar in our team. .
But I know that it’s not what leader does. As Jack Welch aptly said, “The day you become a leader, it becomes about them.” And I couldn’t agree more. Evolving from being a task-oriented professional (doer) to being a manager of people, meant it stopped being about my individual talents, successes, and started being about teaching, motivating, mentoring and coaching.
A true leader takes time to know each member’s strengths, areas to develop, dreams and aspirations and does something about them. A true leader creates opportunity for team members to shine and is proud when they do. A true leader takes the backseat and allows the team to receive the accolades. A true leader can still be involved but whose members can say, at the end of the day, “we did it ourselves”. As I once read, a leader is best when the team goal is achieved and people barely know he exists.
Knowing that this principle is basic and fundamental in leadership is perhaps the reason why Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco is making headlines across the different sectors of the society. Unfortunately, not because of the excellent job she’s doing for our tourism industry, but because of her excellent job in promoting herself. Instead of featuring and promoting the many undoubtedly beautiful tourist spots of the Philippines, she chose to feature herself in all those promotional materials. Yes, it might not be her idea but as the leader, she could have easily instructed and directed her team not to use her face in any of their materials. Now, that she is being bashed left and right, she gave the instruction to take down all the materials bearing her face. Something that she should have been conscious about from the start…only if she remembers that leading means remaining others-centered instead of self-centered.
Only in the Philippines…
