Leadership

After 9 months, I graduated from Leadership Southern Maryland, along with 34 of my esteemed classmates.  What did I learn on this amazing journey? Each program a new lesson on complex issues affecting our community.  Multi-culturalism, the Chesapeake watershed and environmental impacts, regional health and human services issues, education challenges, economic impacts and homelessness and so much more about our tri-county area. However, the most importantly I learned a lot about myself and the differences I can make for the greater good.  It is each of our responsibilities as a Leader to use our resources, strengths, and energies to make a difference in our communities and our world. 

And. It. Starts. Now.    

I have made a few personal commitments (bucket-list type stuff) that I plan to follow up on.  More about that later. For now, I will leave you with:

18 Lessons in Leadership

1. Leadership means sometimes people are mad at you.

2. When they stop bringing you problems, you've stopped leading.

3. Be wary of experts who posses more data than judgement.

4. Challenge the pros - learn from them, but don't fear them.

5. Never neglect the details, especially when others are.

6. Be bold. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

7. Question reality - scratch the surface of all assumptions.

8. Organizations don't accomplish anything. Invest in and empower individuals. 

9. Organizational charts/titles only label people. Go with performance and teams. 

10. Keep ego and position separate. Every job gets obsolete. 

11. Don't chase fads. Sometimes an unapologetic directive beats paralyzing discussion. 

12. Perpetual optimism is powerful. Cynicism is destructive. 

13. In employees look for intelligence, judgement, and the ability to anticipate. 

14. Great leaders are great simplifiers who can articulate goals we understand. 

15. If you are 40-70% sure, go with your gut. Taking no action has risk, too.  

16. Put power where outcomes are produced, not where they are measured.

17. Have fun, take leave, be with family - you'll live longer and better.

18. Be prepared to be lonely. The buck really does stop here.