Partnership or Employment?
How do you know if you are a real partner or if you are employing your team members, family, friends or community for your own benefit?
Simon Sinek said, “If you can clearly articulate the dream or the goal, start.”
What are you building? We are all building something. When we really look at what we are building and why, we can see a more clear picture of who we are and what we want. In this process of evaluating our dreams or goals, we are challenged to look into our deepest values and motivations.
What is required to lead others towards a great cause? I would suggest that we do the work first. Define our values, develop a dream that grows out of our values, then learn to articulate it. Then, and only then, can we lead others towards that goal with no fear of losing the accolades or the praise that comes with a successful venture.
The evolution of leadership moves from defining a goal, articulating it to those that we desire to partner with, and then developing mutual desire around that goal. This is a difficult task that requires letting go of our own desires that do not support our goals or the goals of our team members.
So we can see a process developing here:
Define our values.
Refine our goals.
Articulate the vision.
Develop a partnership or team with those who share our mutual values AND goals.
Listen to our teams to understand the goals, dreams and gifts that drive their desire.
Evaluate how our goals bring their goals, dreams and gifts to life.
Lead the team towards the mutual goals by empowering them to win.
Celebrate the progress by shining a light on the successes of our teams.
There is no greater joy than winning by leading others to their own dreams and goals. Let us look around to see who led us and empowered us in our desires and ambitions. These people were given to us to lead us, to show us the way to lead others well. Sometimes the best way to pay these leaders back is to invest in someone else the way they invested in us.
In your service,
Jason Coultas
Chief Collaborator
