why we don’t need another hero
Everyone loves a story of great leaders. We celebrate their achievements and oftentimes use them as role models. These high-profile champions spearhead large-scale crusades and subject themselves to public scrutiny. They voice their stand. They create waves of momentum and opportunity for change.
Who takes the opportunity and creates the change? I believe the success of any company lies in the hands of the everyday leaders, the unsung heroes. She might lead a work group, an account team or a function. He might be completely unofficial and use lunchtime or after work discussions to springboard new applications. They aren’t high profile. They don’t champion their own causes. They move patiently and methodically with a measure of restraint. They create ripples of change, rather than one giant crashing wave.
I was taught by the strongest, smartest, most humble man I know that as the top leader he could only describe for his team where he wanted them to go, give them the tools, and encourage them to get there. Pulling a company up by its bootstraps is more than a metaphor. It represents the integration and buy-in of the everyday leaders who make decisions in the trenches. He should know. He took his company from barely making payroll to, well, huge. He insisted that the everyday leaders would make extraordinary achievements happen by resolving problems through a long series of smaller efforts. Everyday leaders pick their battles carefully and look for modest but effective solutions. They aren’t interested in going down in a blaze of glory for one single, dramatic effort.
What does this all mean to you? The fact that you have made it this far into the article means you are a leader in search of more knowledge to better yourself and for a better company. I am suggesting that you can make a difference as an everyday, ordinary leader to set the tone and direction of your workplace. It doesn’t mean you have to inspire or thrill your colleagues, boss, or direct reports. It means you are part of the force that can create positive change through incremental measures.
To give you a visual.imagine standing knee-deep on the shoreline with waves crashing onto the beach around you. They are spectacularly loud, beautiful and fleeting. After a few minutes you realize you are in waist-high water. The waves aren’t as spectacular here and the current is quietly carrying you out to sea. This invisible current is the force that flows through your company and the most important place to affect change. The waves will continue to crash the shoreline but it is the silence behind and under the waves that is a thousand times stronger.
Companies must be constantly on the move both proactively and reactively to gain continued success. Set your path to match the fluid goals of the organization and impart change in your work to adjust. You will be a bigger part of the success by being less of a hero and more of an everyday leader.
