And the great managers among us do not lead others with copies.
I want to offer you another Alaka‘i leadership lens through which you can look at your October Ho‘ohana Sweet Closure plan, and this blog title pretty much says it all:
A copy of the best is still a copy
If you have decided you want to
a) work on your self-leadership practices
and/or
b) be one who will lead others (whether or not you manage them too)
you must lead with your own mana‘o.
Your mana‘o = your own ideas, beliefs, and convictions.
You can watch others to learn from them, and because they inspire you, however don’t be a professional student. To be a true leader, you have to do your own thing.
If you stop at copying the very best of what someone else is doing, it is still a copy. It isn’t leadership material.
So as you work on your October Ho‘ohana through the Sweet Closure initiative, please understand that you need to make this all about you.
Your wants.
Your ideas.
Your Aloha spirit begging you for better self-expression.
That’s not selfish. It’s the bravery of an emerging leader’s authenticity.
Do NOT stop at making copies.
The deliverable of your October Ho‘ohana Sweet Closure plan should be a focus on the production of an original – yours. Strip away all the other clutter.
Even twins seek their individual identity,
for they know they have uniqueness to bring to the world.
The twins by Kazatzka on Flickr
My mana‘o [The Backstory of this posting]
Each Tuesday I write a leadership posting for Say “Alaka‘i” at The Honolulu Advertiser. The edition here on Talking Story is revised with internally directed links, and I can take a few more editorial liberties. Recently my posting here has been very directed and sequential: I am working on my October Ho‘ohana of Sweet Closure along with you. If you are just joining us and would like to read them in order, this article would be number 4 on this list:
- Is it Time for Your Alaka‘i Abundance?
- October’s Ho‘ohana: Sweet Closure
- The Ho‘ohana Story of Your Year
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Very true of leadership as well as everything else you do in life. We can learn from other’s successes and failures, build skill by imitating. But I really like the way you’ve said it here, “A copy of the best is still a copy.” If you want to stand out sooner or later you have to bring your own spirit to the party and build something crisp, clear and new.
.-= Fred H Schlegel ´s last blog ..When Trails Of Science and Art Cross =-.
Well said Fred; “crisp, clear and new” form a great trio of adjectives. Our newness need not be big either, for small splashes create far-reaching ripples!
The key is copy from many people. Take the best from all. Tailor it to you. Then be the best you can be.
Aloha Jim, welcome to Talking Story, and well said!
To be sure, copying the best of lessons learned by others is the skill of smart observation. If what we seek to experience ourselves is the next progression versus a duplication, then you are so right: that happens when we “tailor it” and “be” our best.
You’ve given us a good talk story topic for our workplaces: How do we “tailor” here, and put our signature on every action we take?