Crossing the Cultural Divide

A Couple of Suggestions for Leading Young Leaders

First, you will probably need to thicken your skin by about six inches. Leadership can sometimes exhaust your patience more than any college definition. Young leaders may often push your patience button even harder. Since they know they are leaders, they may sometimes try to usurp your authority. But that’s OK! Exercise patience with them. It can be a learning experience for both of you. Allow their youthful excitement to inspire and reignite some of your vision for leadership. Your patience can help to produce an environment that both encourages them to exercise their passion while minimizing frustration for everyone.

As a responsible leader, it is partly your job to help facilitate the leadership gifts in young people. Part of that facilitation process may sometimes involve teaching them to restrain their young egos. Their desire to get results can easily overwhelm their ability to understand the need of learning the process of getting results. This is where you have the edge. They may possess knowledge through their gifts; but you possess understanding through experience.

Don’t misunderstand me, results are good and desirable, but learning the process of attaining results is more valuable over the long haul. In other words, help young leaders to avoid the pitfalls of trying to produce immediate results with reckless abandon. It is much easier to slow them down now and teach them the value of wisdom over knowledge. Wisdom is not simply defined as experience, but as guided experience. They will need your guidance while they develop into patient and steady leaders. This wisdom will also help them to stay on track and not lead others astray.

Taking this time with them is the rough equivalent of teaching a hungry man to fish instead of simply feeding him on a continuous basis. It will also help them to develop their people skills more efficiently. It can sometimes be a rather delicate and lengthy process depending on the individual, but the payoff will be returned in aces.

Secondly, you may need a tall glass of humility.

Many leaders make the mistake of thinking they have to be all things-to all people-at all times-in all places. But trying become all things to everyone usually ends up making a leader useful to no one…..especially to themselves. So be yourself because you DO NOT have to be all things to be an effective leader. You may have to humble yourself once in a while but that does not mean that you should allow others to step on you like a doormat. It means showing meekness.

Meekness can be defined as strength under control. An illustration may be that of a heavyweight championship boxer. He feels no need to prove his boxing prowess to every knuckle-buster on the street corner and he is confident that he is not required to do so. He is secure in his physical and mental ability. His restraint is revealed in that he has done what it takes to retain the championship belt so he has nothing to prove to a playground challenger.

As a leader, you may sometimes have to suck it up. It may sometimes require giving others the credit that you probably deserve. But you don’t care because you are becoming a great leader. Since you are becoming a great leader, you have no sense of urgency to let everyone know that you are in charge all the time. You are not threatened by others. It doesn’t matter to you that other people are moving ahead because your leadership has been the unseen rudder. Your subtle leadership ability has been quietly moving masses of people and others are becoming great as a result. The growth and maturity of others has become more important to you than personal accolades. That’s what authentic leadership is all about. You are evolving into an authentic leader and others are becoming keenly aware of it.

You are gently guiding others towards their full potential.

Great leaders are humble servants who choose to lead by example. The trickle down effect of positive leadership cannot be overstated. ‘Lead by example’ is not simply a fashionable saying; it is a time established anchor of leadership theory.
What we do as leaders should flow naturally out of who we are.

Hang in there and enjoy the ride. And be sure to share your wisdom and encourage the rest of us along the way. The seeds of encouragement you plant today will reap a bountiful harvest in those you serve. Good luck!

By George A Palombo
Executive Director,
American Center for Character/Cultural Education