“You have the power to change the world. You have the ideas, the energy, the passion, the commitment. But you are powerless to change anything if those ideas stay inside of you. The power of the idea is not just in the idea itself. You need to know how to communicate the idea. And the power to change the world comes when the idea is communicated effectively.”
I said this when in my opening address when I presented at the Victorian Regional Community Leadership program day in October 2016.
I went on to take the group through my PRACtical communication model to give them some practical tools on how they can communicate their ideas effectively. You can read more about this or watch the webinar.
Later in the day, a participant spoke with me. “Can I still be exercising leadership if I’m not the one coming up with the ideas?” she asked me.
Yes. Leadership is a team sport. There’s a lot of skills, attributes and experience required to make the world a better place. No one person has them all.
Here’s how I think about the ‘players’ on the leadership team:
- Those that think of stuff to make the world a better place – coming up with the ideas, the innovations, revolutions and creativity.
- Those that do stuff to make the world a better place – the person who just gets s*%# done.
- Those who facilitate the people and processes to make the world a better place – the person who holds it all together, makes sure people get in the room together, makes sure people are clear on who is doing what and when.
Personally, I’m more of the facilitator. So if I collaborate with thinkers and doers we are a powerhouse. If it was a room full of facilitators, then nothing would get done.
So if you don’t have ‘the ideas’, don’t fret. You still have a role in leadership and making the world a better place. You just need to find your team.
What’s your role in the team? I’d love to hear from you about it – feel free to email me your thoughts.
PS: my other favourite resource about leadership as a team sport is here: how the first follower helps to make a movement.
