Have you ever had to deal with a medical emergency ?
When my son Joseph, was 16 we were out for a long country walk and stumbled on an elderly couple. The lady was panicked and the man was laying motionless by the side of the footpath.
There was nobody else to be seen as we waited for an ambulance so I had to step up to help. After 30-40 seconds I looked up to see where Joseph was. He’d positioned himself between me delivering CPR, and the lady. He’d full eye contact and was trying to reassure her.
After around 4-5 minutes I looked up again and he had led her away to a bench and was still talking to her when the emergency services arrived.
After we handed over to the paramedics we continnued our walk and I asked if he sought eye contact and moved her deliberately, he said ‘Yes’.
He then turned to me, looking at me and said ‘I just did what I thought was the right thing to do Dad’.
I thought I was stepping up and doing the leading that day but my son taught me that I wasn’t the only one.
That’s leadership. Its not a title, a qualification or ten years of experience. Its someone who sees what needs doing, knows they can help, and steps forward.
How many people in your business are sitting on exactly this kind of potential. Maybe they’re not putting their hand up because nobody’s asked, but maybe they’re not leading because you’re not giving them the permission.
The businesses I like to work with that are genuinely thriving aren’t the ones with the most senior leaders. They’re the ones where leadership is expected from everyone, regardless of role, and where stepping forward is rewarded rather than questioned.
#Unconventional #Leadership #Speaker
