A Passion for Leadership

After my last blog entry on Appreciative Inquiry a colleague of mine e-mailed and posed some interesting questions.  She asked, "What compels you to write about leadership?" and "Is there something in your experience that drives you to do this?"  So bear with me as I engage in perhaps a bit of self-indulgent, public self-reflection on my passion for leadership.

The questions were great questions.  Coincidentally, they came only a day after I was also engaged in a lengthy conversation with a seasoned executive coach who posed similar questions within the context of my expanding executive coaching practice.  Her questions were similar in that they called me to further articulate a personal vision for myself and to describe my coaching and consulting practice a year further into the future.  The conversations and the answers seemed to tie very nicely together even though they took place a day apart and were inspired by different motivations.

The word "compelled" seems very appropriate in this context for me.  Some of the words used to define compelled include force, drive, duty, necessitate, and irresistible.  To me it also conveys a feeling of lack of choice.  I have NO CHOICE but to be passionate about leadership, leadership development, and executive coaching (and being coached) to reach new levels of capability and excellence.  I have always been driven to make a difference and to strive to support achievement of goals beyond myself.  I have recently begun to use a military term to describe the impact I want to continue to have as a leader and executive coach - I want to be a FORCE MULTIPLIER!  I want to be that force or capability that "...when added to and employed by a ... force [or by individual managers and leaders] significantly increases the ...potential of that force and thus enhances the probability of successful mission accomplishment."  As one individual I can have impact.  As an individual who can foster, support, engage, reveal, prod, or otherwise develop the skills and abilities of others I can have an impact out of all proportion to any individual effort. 

Individual leaders have a ripple effect on everything and everyone around them.  They set the tone and establish (consciously or unconsciously) performance expectations within and even beyond their sphere of influence.   Unfortunately the ripple effect is just as noticeable when there is poor leadership as when there is good leadership.  We have only to consider recent events in various aspects of our lives - politics, business sector, financial services, public sector - to appreciate that.  We readily see and experience the negative impact of poor or even malicious leadership.  Poor leadership and efforts to fight it are even "celebrated" in our popular culture (e.g., "Horrible Bosses").  Scott Adams captures this spirit most eloquently with Dilbert and his cronies on nearly a daily basis.  At the least we are frustrated with the results.  At worse we feel bullied, intimidated, demoralized and devalued in these circumstances. 

So I want to do good.  I want to do better.  For at least the past dozen years as I have had the opportunity to lead large portfolios I have always been excited and energized by the prospect of helping my staff succeed in their personal endeavours and advancing in their careers.  I want to continue to be, and become even more of, a Force Multiplier.  I believe I can do that within the context of my consulting practice, my executive coaching and even through this blog.  Imagine the impact of successfully helping leaders develop their capabilities and as they do so to become Force Multipliers for their staff!  Imagine that they can get and then deliver the support, energy and sustenance necessary to discover and grow their leadership to the future benefit of their organizations, their professions, their staff and ultimately their clients. 

Take up your own challenge and opportunity.  Become more of a Force Multiplier (for good).

It is about Leadership!
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Greg Hadubiak, MHSA, FACHE, CEC, PCC
TEC Canada Chair/Executive Coach/Senior Consultant
hadubiak@wmc.ca

Helping leaders realize their strengths and enabling organizations to achieve their potential through the application of my leadership experience and coaching skills. I act as a point of leverage for my clients. I AM their Force Multiplier.