I got this mug my senior year in high school. I had landed the male lead in our school play, “The Matchmaker” and played Horace Vandergelder. A few in the cast got me this mug that had several meanings. Horace was “the boss” in his world…and as the male-lead, I was “the boss” on stage.
From an outsider’s perspective, performing arts may not seem to be the most relevant place to gain business skills. It’s “art” whereas business is “science” and serious! KPIs and SQL and data-driven! Sigh, I digress…
Being on stage taught me how to confront stage fright (it never goes away, you just learn to tap into the fear and draw energy from it!), how to work an audience, weave a story, use active listening, read the room, pace my speech and even leadership.
Yes. Leadership.
When you’re the “lead” in a show, you’re not really in charge, that falls on the director. But, cast-mates look to you for how hard they should be working. They pull energy from you. If you come out flat? They will likely be flat. It’s no different than in sports. In football, the quarterback isn’t “in charge” but the offense looks to them to be a leader. It’s his job to elevate those around him; make everyone else better.
The same is true on stage. How I work on my craft is seen by others. When I’m in a scene with someone else, my approach will be mirrored. If I’m lazy, flat or disinterested? My scene-mate will mirror that. If I come out with passion and energy, others on stage will draw from that and elevate their game too.
And we are sorely missing that lesson in business. In business, managers believe their role is to manage the numbers. Enforce the rules. Make sure people aren’t rolling in at 8:01.
The reality of leadership is that your real job is to encourage your people. Give them energy. Enable them to achieve success. Creating an environment based on fear that you can fire someone? Not impressed.
In fact, today’s “leader” very much believes “if the employee is successful, then it’s because I’m an awesome manager; if the employee fails, it’s on them.” Amazing how it works out that way, yes?
I miss real leadership, like Harry Truman who once famously quipped “the buck stops here.” It wasn’t “well, the buck stops here when everything is great…but it’s someone else’s fault if things go poorly.”
Our job in leadership is to make others around us better. You want the fancy title, the better pay and the glory? Then you have to accept the responsibility for the wins and losses. You have to accept responsibility for giving your team the tools they need for success. Otherwise? Get out of the big chair and let someone else do it.
We make others better by empowering them. Giving them ownership over their tasks and the outcomes. Asking for their input and challenging them to push beyond their comfort zones.
People don’t need you babysitting them, clock-watching and asking for the TPS Report. Inspire them. Sell them on the vision. Lead them and give them an opportunity to grow. And then get out of the way. That’s the true mark of a “big boss.”
Kommentare