This is the tenth post in a series on the 12 Transition Points.

All Transition Points are a passage through a door of change. We stand at a threshold. Do we cross or stop, hoping that by avoiding change we will remain as we have been. Even if it is not the ideal, it is known. Here is the background that I see when we face a new role or set of responsibilities. The following quotations are from my book, Circle of Impact: Taking Personal Initiative To Ignite Change.

A Changing Leadership Context

“Organizational leadership has for centuries been understood as a relationship between leaders and followers. The leader, at the top of the organizational hierarchy, leads the organization’s followers through planning, delegation, and influence. It is this structure of leadership that has guided the modern organization through the past century … ” *

 

“Are you a leader?” I often ask people this question. I want to know if they see themselves as leaders. When I first began to ask this question more than two decades ago, I was surprised by the pushback that I got. I assumed that people would be complemented by my question. They weren’t. Most of the time people said no. Their response wasn’t a nice, humble deflection of a compliment. Instead, I felt that I had offended them. This did not make sense to me. 

 

I would then dig a little deeper and ask why. Almost universally their response would be either “I don’t want to be the boss” or “I don’t want all that responsibility.” They saw leadership as setting a person apart for responsibility and recognition. In their view, leaders have a target on their back. It was the position of vulnerability and exposure to scrutiny that they didn’t want. … ” **

Two Changes in Perception

Transition Point #10 represents two changes in perception about leadership.

On a grand, global scale, the meaning of leadership in organizations is changing. The image of the lone, heroic leader is giving way to collaborative leadership teams and global networks of relationships that practice shared leadership.

On a personal level, leadership is becoming more and more what is required of us. Organizational leadership is becoming more personal and social. It still involves technical skills. The difference is found in how I define leadership: “All leadership begins with personal initiative to create impact that makes a difference that matters.”

Whether you work at the lowest level of a company or are the CEO, the greatest change that we each face is in understanding how we are to take leadership initiative in the different roles that we perform.  It isn’t just at work, but in every facet of our lives.

Maybe the new leadership role is as momentary as stepping in to help in a crisis situation or as long term as a change of career. Whatever the situation, we need to be prepared to take initiative to do what is needed to advance a cause or resolve a conflict.

Preparation is Essential

Preparation for leadership begins with self-understanding.

We need to know our strengths and our limitations. We need to be clear about what our values are and what our individual purpose is.

This is not just personal, about feeling positive about ourselves. It is also social and organizational because the moment of transition when we are thrust into a new role of leadership is asking us to be prepared to decide whether to cross the threshold of change. We are prepared when we know what we want and why it matters. Feeling unprepared is realizing that we are not prepared to be decisive in the moment that it is needed.

A Transition Mindset

All leadership situations are moments of transition. We stand before the door of change. If it is closed, then the decision to open it and step into a new situation requires courage and confidence that we can take on the new challenge?

Is the door already open, inviting us into a new situation?  Are we prepared to walk through and close the door behind us, leaving behind the past, and embracing a new and uncertain future?

This is the moment of transition that is the way of leadership. We are always in transition. Always in the moment where our leadership can make a difference that matters.

Should we wait to feel prepared? We’ll never arrive at that point. Rather, believe that our past experience has prepared to learn what is needed in the moment that it is required. This is the nature of transition and the nature of leadership that I have come to describe as Circle of Impact leadership.

*   Circle of Impact: Taking Personal Initiative to Ignite Change, Dr. Ed Brenegar, p.81.

** Circle of Impact: Taking Personal Initiative to Ignite Change, Dr. Ed Brenegar, p.49.

Circle of Impact: Taking Personal Initiative To Ignite Change is available from Amazon at https://amzn.to/2Bb6khW