Would You Employ Yourself To Lead?

“The question is not, ‘Should I be a leader?’ It’s ‘How much am I willing to suffer for others?’” - Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Patrick Lencioni’s recent LinkedIn video series has gone viral, and I can see why.

Particularly his clip where he argues that some people pursue leadership for the wrong reasons: power, money or titles.

He makes the point that real leadership is about responsibility, sacrifice and yes, sometimes suffering for the people that you lead.

I’ll have to admit though, the word “suffer” stopped me in my tracks. Part of me resisted it. While part of me loved it and agreed with it. Regardless of where you land on the word itself, the message is hard to ignore: Great leaders check their ego at the door every day. They also choose to put others first.

As Lencioni states… if people do not have the willingness to suffer for others, then maybe they should not become leaders, because there are plenty of other meaningful ways to contribute.

This is confronting.

However, he does go on to say that leadership is also very rewarding. Only when, “You know that you’re going to do something that is about others, and not yourself.”

At Proteus, we describe this as the heart of ‘Servant Leadership’.

Real leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of, and responsibility for, those in your charge: their growth, safety, performance and wellbeing.

But it also begs a much deeper question: Have you done the inner work required to lead others well?

Because before we can lead others, we must first look within.

We must examine our own mindset, inner dialogue and our attitude. We need to determine whether our behaviour aligns with the goals that we say we want to achieve.

And more importantly, whether this aligns with the kind of leader that we say we are. The kind that we are also prepared to continue working on becoming.

One question that we often ask in our Emerging Leaders programs is this: Would you employ yourself?

Why? Because it sets the scene for deeper work around attitude, leadership competency, change agility and gratitude.

After watching Lencioni’s video, maybe there’s a critical question that we established leaders need to regularly ask ourselves as an extension of this:

Would you employ yourself to lead?

Not your résumé. Not your technical skills. Not your qualifications. Nor your job title.

Rather, your attitude. Your energy. Your integrity. Your accountability. Your willingness to grow and be coachable. And your kindness and generosity toward others.

If you want to be surrounded by people who are positive, optimistic, grateful and generous, then first you need to bring those qualities.

That is why Lencioni’s question has struck such a nerve.

Because it reminds us that leadership is not about being noticed, promoted or praised. It is about being prepared to serve, stretch, grow and occasionally… ‘suffer’ for the good of others.

So, before we look outward and ask others to lift their game, maybe we need to look inward first and then ask: Would I employ myself to lead?

Because your title might get you to the leadership table. But your attitude and integrity will determine whether people will want to follow.

Wishing you a wonderful week of doing the ‘inner’ work.

Richard Dore
CEO - Director of Partnerships
Proteus Leadership