Our very prolific guest-blogger, Henry Dutton shared this leadership insight with us today…
I’m a big movie buff, and I also love to watch movie award shows. Not too long ago, I was watching the Oscars, and Michael Douglas was about to present an award for outstanding directing. Before the presentation, he gave a brief anecdote and made this comment, “A director does everything imaginable to recognize a singular vision.”
Granted, Michael Douglas was talking about film directing, but his comment really resonated with me in terms of leadership. I think Douglas really hit on two key leadership concepts. First, a leader must be a servant leader. He or she should not be afraid to delegate responsibility with authority, and yet, a true leader will also be willing to roll up his or her sleeves and work alongside other members of the team. He or she should be willing to complete even the “small” tasks. Servant leadership always raises the level of trust on a team. Second, a leader must never lose sight of the vision. Vision is what drives a team to complete a particular mission. Without vision, a team will fail, and it is the leader’s responsibility to retain the vision, cast the vision, and re-cast the vision frequently.
In response to Douglas’s comment, ask yourself these questions: (1) “As a leader, am I taking advantage of opportunities to serve my teammates?” and (2) “As a leader, am I casting the vision for my team effectively?” Evaluating these elements of your leadership will certainly prove helpful.