Lonely Leadership

As the saying goes, it’s lonely at the top.  But is that the way it should be for a great leader?

Perhaps as it relates to how the leader feels, it rings true.  Leaders should sacrifice and take risks for others, and when it comes to such acts of courage, it’s not surprising that he or she stands alone.  But in the context here, it’s about the connections that a leader needs to have with their followers.  Great leaders shouldn’t be alone because they share their success, don’t leave their followers behind, and bring others to the top with them.

1.       Great leaders are not lonely because they share success with their followers. 

“True leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders.” – Robert Townsend

An example of such a leader is Vice Admiral Grace Hopper.  Though her name isn’t as recognizable as Orville and Wilbur Wright, Thomas Edison, or Benjamin Franklin, Grace Hopper’s leadership as an inventor and innovator changed history.  She made it possible for the average person to program a computer, taking the mystery and marvel of the digital computing machine out of the laboratory and putting it out into the world.

Later in her career, she would write several uncredited papers providing instruction on the use of automatic programming, which suddenly made computers practical and cost-effective for efficiently solving business problems.  The new computers were powerful, but the cost to program these giants was tremendous.  Her work made it possible to provide instructions to a computer in English-like commands and not numerical machine codes, meaning that a high-school graduate could give instructions to these behemoths, rather than a limited set of Ph.D. mathematicians.

She created a safe environment for young, up-and-coming programmers and nurtured their ability to innovate and create.  Her goal was to empower people as a collective, rather than herself as an individual.  So she brought together a diverse team to create and design together, believing that ideas from the group would be stronger than hers alone.  By bringing people together, understanding the needs of those she led, and subordinating her own glory and needs, this Grace left a giant footprint on the world.

2.       Great leaders do the things they do WITH their followers and don’t leave them behind.

  “Leaders don’t force people to follow — they invite them on a journey.” — Charles S. Lauer

The Hebrews were promised a land flowing with milk and honey.  Moses was tasked to be their leader in this divine epic.  In the biblical story, Moses was called to free the Hebrews from slavery under the Egyptian Pharaoh and lead them to a land promised by God.  Moses sent 12 men out to scout the land.  The faithful and fearless Caleb and Joshua were the only ones to bring back optimistic reports.  The other 10 men returned from the mission insistent that the quest was impossible; the land was full of giants.  They returned proclaiming hope, saying that sure, the land was full of giants, but they were no match for the God of the Israelites, who had seen them this far.  But everyone gave up – everyone except Caleb and Joshua.  For their disobedience and lack of faith, God caused the Hebrews to wander the Egyptian deserts for four long decades.  Though Joshua and Caleb believed in what was promised to them, they wandered the desert with the Hebrews for those 40 years.  They stayed with the people and exemplified the symbol of transitional leadership as they stayed with the people and ultimately led them to the Promised Land.

3.       Great leaders draw others to them and bring them “up” to the top to join them.  

 “There is plenty of room at the top — but no place to sit down.” — Unknown

Charisma can help inspire people to do their best, to feel good about themselves, and to understand where and why you are leading them.  John C. Maxwell, author of The 21 Indispensible Qualities of a Leader, lists charisma as one of the most important leadership qualities and insists that it is a trait one can develop and improve upon, not just something you must be born with.  Charisma draws followers to the top with the leader.

Essentially, your charisma (or your “gift of grace,” as derived from the Greek root) has everything to do with how you learn to love life, which is exactly what Maxwell encourages leaders to do.  People are attracted to people who are happy and cheerful, who treat them kindly and make them feel good about themselves.  This means being optimistic and seeing the goodness and inspiration in everything and everyone around us.  Players on a football team want to feel like they will win; employees in a large corporation want to believe that the company will make a profit and everyone will be successful; and people suffering through the tyranny of oppression need to have faith that they will experience better days will come.  In order to inspire motivation, change, innovation, invention, or anything else worth inspiring, one must first be able to see it as a possibility.  A charismatic leader has vision, joy, hope, and optimism, and these characteristics inspire others to follow in this experience.

Yes, it’s lonely at the top.  But it doesn’t have to be.  Successful leaders will be able to bring others to the top with them and will seldom feel the sting of loneliness.