Crush It in Leadership with 4 Simple Steps
By: Justin Fatica
One of the most horrific tragedies of our times is the large number of good people who fail to lead. In high school, I was (for the most part) a good kid. My family taught me what was right and wrong, and I did my best to follow their guidance. But what I did not do was lead others to do what is right. I lacked the confidence to inspire others to live the way I was living. I acted like this because I did not know what true leadership was. Leadership is not about being loud. It is not about being persuasive. It is not about being flashy. It is about living in such a way that people around you desire to live the same. Winston Churchill was a leader because many people desired to confront the difficulties of World War II as he did, with determination and patience. St. Theresa of Calcutta was also a leader because many strove to love the poor and neglected as she did. Every outstanding leader I can think of including Jesus Himself used four simple steps to inspire others to live like they did.
Step #1: Outstanding Leaders Share Their Stories
“Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he listens to teachers it is because they are first witnesses.” (St. Pope Paul VI Evangelii Nunciandi 41) Leadership does not necessarily come from a position of authority. Just because you are a captain of a team, a manager at work, or the smartest student in class does not make you a leader. You are a leader because others see your journey and desire to journey with you. When you testify how you got to where you are, people will recognize you as someone to follow. “Always be prepared to give a reason for your hope.” (1 Peter 3:15) Life is about the journey, and we all need people in our life to model our journey after. Share your story with authenticity, and people will desire to live as you live.
Step #2: Outstanding Leaders Seek Community
You can hardly do anything worthwhile on your own. Even Jesus built a team. He said to His team, “I no longer call you slaves... but friends.” (John 15:15) Leaders fail when they think they need to do everything on their own, isolating themselves from others. It should be the exact opposite. The goal of leadership is not to be seen as some perfect person that no else can compare to. Rather, the goal of leadership is to raise others up to equality. Outstanding leaders make others like themselves and form a community around them.
Step #3: Outstanding Leaders Sympathize with Others’ Weaknesses
To sympathize means to suffer together. Fantastic leaders do not judge and whine about other people around them. They seek to raise other people up. They have the patience to struggle through the challenges of the people they lead. I personally suck at this partially because I am extremely impatient with myself. I should be more like Jesus. Jesus became a human being as if to say to us, “I am in this struggle with you. I do not want you to be alone in this.” By God becoming human we know that He understands and cares. We ought to do the same. Outstanding leaders get messy in people’s struggles so that they can lift them out of it.
Step #4: Outstanding Leaders Step Outside Their Comfort Zones
Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to do something when someone who you know and trust is already doing it? Talking to strangers makes me uncomfortable, but if I am with some of my friends who do it often it is much easier. A terrific leader is willing to be the first to do something uncomfortable to make it easier for others. So often we waste our life by fearing what is uncomfortable. But if we forget about ourselves and realize that we provide a wonderful service to others when we step outside of our comfort zones, taking the initiative in uncomfortable situations becomes much more doable. People need you to step up. The world does not need more good people who are not willing to get uncomfortable for what is right. It needs good people who are willing to step outside their comfort zones and lead others to the truth. Come on! Share your story of how God changed you. Seek a community to surround yourself with. Sympathize with those struggling. And step outside your comfort zone to challenge others to do what is right.
