Becoming a truly great leader is far more about developing who we are as people than improving what we do; leadership effectiveness is first and foremost driven by Who* Not What.
There is research that supports this concept. Most of us have experiences that speak to it. Logic, if you drill down far enough, proves it as well. And yet, in all of my travels and discussions with leaders in various walks of life, I have yet to meet the leader who intentionally and consciously ordered his own leadership development by this principle. I’ve not once talked with an executive who strategically aligned her enterprise with this idea in mind. And I’ve not seen development plans for high-potential leaders that were rooted in this reality. If we are to become the leaders — and organizations — that many of us desire to be, we need, first and foremost, to begin ordering and prioritizing our leadership development efforts to develop who we are as people.
This blog is here to help us all explore the Who* Not What concept. Please join the discussion by sharing your own thoughts, stories, and points of view.
Who our leaders are, rather than what they do, ultimately determines if we will follow them over the long haul…and it will determine if others will follow us as well.
Tim Spiker
