There is no escaping the fact that when we show up for work and for our leadership roles, we bring the entirety of ourselves to the table.
We bring our convictions, our strengths, our fears and our weaknesses, along with our insecurities, knowledge of our past failures, our pride in past accomplishments and our desire to lead our teams successfully.
I believe that to be a leader of true character requires a connection with, and acceptance of, our whole selves.
I also believe it requires not only a vision of where you are taking the organization you are leading, but a clear personal vision that clarifies why you’re working with, and leading, that organization in the first place.
It involves understanding who you are, within yourself, at your most personal and deepest level.
For only by being truly connected with ourselves at every level, by facing this truth, and by having a personal vision can we come into our roles as leaders and say to our followers (in essence), “This is who I am, this is what I believe, this is where I am heading, and this is why I am heading in that direction. Please follow me.”
By sharing this with our followers and letting our leadership flow from within, our followers can:
1. Hold us accountable and expect actions to match our words
2. Understand our character, from which we will lead
Glen Senk of Urban Outfitters
One CEO I admire profusely for being so connected to, and honest about, his vision, values and personal character is Glen Senk of Urban Outfitters.
In an interview with Glen that was published May 25th in Knowledge@Wharton, Glen was quoted as saying (after a reference to him successfully battling cancer in 1989),
“You realize you have to take responsibility for doing what is right for you,” Senk noted. “You have to live a life you want to lead.”
Senk added that focusing on living what he called an “authentic” life has paid huge dividends. “A lot of my friends who went on to be very successful in investment banking or law or consulting … are not as happy as I am. There is not a day that I don’t wake up bounding out of bed and can’t wait to get to work.”
The words, “You have to live a life you want to lead” are some of the most powerful words one can express, believe in and commit themself to as a leader. Glen knew relatively early on that his vision meant following his love of retail, of which he said,
I love the theater of retail. I love that I can control every part of the experience — the product itself, the pricing, the way the product is sold, the way we communicate and so on.
The fact that he was so committed to this vision that he applied for a job at Bloomingdale’s 46 times before landing a job with them speaks volumes about the power, and compelling nature, of his personal vision. And vision played a role later in his career when he took a risk and left Williams-Sonoma to work for Richard Hyne at Urban:
“I went from supervising 200 people, having two assistants and flying on the Concorde [at Williams-Sonoma] to running one store that did less than $1 million,” Senk said. “I had a vision for myself and what it could be. And I believed so strongly in the culture [Hayne] had created at Urban.”
Senk described that culture as one where creative, collaborative and curious people are given the freedom to operate almost like entrepreneurs.
Diversity — including diversity of race, religion and political views — is also central to that vision. “Dick Hayne is a Republican,” Senk noted. “I’m the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 1,000 company.” … “We believe as a company in hiring diversity, not because it is politically correct, but because diversity makes us stronger. I look for people who complement me, not [people] who look at the world the same way that I do.”
I believe that an understanding of, and commitment to, a culture that demonstrates the values you profess, is a critical result of character-based leadership. You may not agree with a leader’s values, but a leader demonstrates their true character by being the foremost steward of company values, and by imbuing those values in the corporate culture.
One should give honest consideration to whether it makes sense to work at a company where your values do not match the leader’s.
As Glen points out with poignant truth:
If it is not a culture fit, you probably will not do well. Spend time in the lunch room, spend time with the receptionist — spend time with the real people in the organization if you want to know what the culture is really like.
Glen is just one example of a leader who is genuinely connected to his inner self, and to his personal vision, purpose and values. I’ll be writing more on this topic for a book being developed by the Lead Change Group (more details to come!).
In the meantime, please let me know who you believe is a leader who leads with character by connecting with, and leading from, within.
~
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17 Response Comments
Beautiful and poignant post, Lisa. These words – “You have to live a life you want to lead” are indeed so powerful. When our outer lives are out of alignment with our core values, it becomes difficult to lead others and to rally behind a cause. To know what and who you want to lead, you must first know yourself and have the courage to commit yourself to your dreams.
Thank you, Sharon. I can see from your blog that we are on very similar journeys…no wonder these words resonate so beautifully with us. Here’s to your own personal journey, alignment and to leading from your true self!
Lisa,
Today I will be brief. I would love to meet Glen Senk!
His outlook on life reminds me of quote from Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It went like this:
‘People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain…We have to get up off the couch and turn the television off, we have to blow up the inner-tubes and head to the river. We have to write the poem and deliver it in person. We have to pull the car off the road and hike to the top of the hill. We have to put on our suits, we have to dance at weddings.’
Thanks for this introduction to Glen.
Judy
Judy,
Me too. 🙂 And you are very welcome! Thank you for sharing that gorgeous quote chock full of eloquent reminders to live our lives – *OUR* lives – each and every day! You’re the best, thank you for being here!
This sounds like a great interview! I love the point about leaders stating to their followers “This is who I am, this is what I believe, this is where I am heading, and this is why I am heading in that direction. Please follow me.”
Over my time training and coaching leaders, I have found that self-awareness tends to be the best predictor of great leadership and of whether a leader can flex his style to be more effective.
Thanks for sharing!
Pam
Hi Pam,
I agree – I was thrilled to see it. And thank you for your kind words about that line…it’s something I truly believe in. I genuinely appreciate your insights based on your own experience – thank you for sharing them here for me and fellow readers! All the best and have a beautiful weekend!
Hi Lisa
Great post. Loved Glen’s quote “diversity makes us stronger. I look for people who complement me, not [people] who look at the world the same way that I do.”
This is such an important point for a leader. It’s not about others agreeing all the time with the leader, but with respect and trust, followers will complement and challenge as needed. A great leader will always look to bring people into his/her team who have strengths where the leader is weak. That’s powerful.
The confidence of who Glen is in himself comes through with great authority in this interview/post. Wonderful.
Thank you, Kate. I loved that quote as well, it says so much about him and the way he leads and thinks. I’ve heard CEOs say they don’t need to be the smartest one in the room, but they do want the smartest people around them.
Thank you so much for your thoughts and letting me know what really resonated with you – I sincerely appreciate it!
I love this post, Lisa. It resonates 100%.
It hearkens back to the instructions you receive on a plane. If the oxygen masks come down, put yours on first, then help the kids. It reminds me too of the instructions you get if you see someone drowning. If you don’t know how to swim, do not try to help them.
Ultimately, leaders get tested in ways that are sometimes shocking or surprising. If you are not 100% strong within yourself, these little tests can throw you completely off guard. If you do know yourself inside and out 100%, nothing can deter you.
Excellent post!
I’m so glad to hear that, Margie – thank you! You summarized it so eloquently…if only it was easy for all of us to know and connect with ourselves fully. I’ll be writing more about this so, again, so thankful to know that it resonated with you!
Thank you, Yes I am enjoying the “Journey” every step of the way…