A few months ago, I was talking to a friend about the nature of peer leadership. In the academic s ense, it seems as though young leaders only excel in their respective fields of study or athletic pursuits, while comparatively few of them lead lives rich in personal emotional experience.
Ultimately, we came to the realization that formal education has encouraged promising young people to lead in the classroom, on the playing field or in their communities, but not in the most important place of all — their hearts and minds.
Have you ever been in a situation whereby your leadership breaks down?
Be it at work, at school or any other formal activity, when whoever is leading the group effort simply cracks under the pressure? I’ve been unlucky (or lucky?) enough to witness such a phenomenon on a number of occasions, and it’s quite a sight to behold. Even if the highly-regarded leader has performed admirably thus far, it appears as though some, despite all outward appearance of competence, cannot handle the strain of stewardship.
When the task at hand is no longer a simple letter of recommendation, a grade on a paper or winning a game, the going gets tough, and the tough ... well, they crap out.
As the world we live in grows increasingly fast-paced and demanding, those joining the work force need to be able to synthesize large amounts of information and work well together in groups. At times, such group work requires leadership, and it’s rather alarming when the leadership simply cannot find the strength to lead.
So, I can’t help but come back to the conversation I had with my friend. How can we explain such breakdowns in young leaders?
I believe it can be mostly attributed to leadership of the self. Since teens and young adults are not encouraged to lead themselves, by finding their own identity and distancing themselves from exterior methods of evaluation (grades, fundraising quotas, or winning a game), the pressure to outwardly excel becomes too great to bear — even the most capable crumple under the weight of others’ expectations. Yet such a situation may have been avoided had the individual taken the time in solitude to set his or her own limits and not constantly bow to the demands of others.
Only when we lead ourselves can we properly lead others.
Personal leadership stems first from taking care of one’s body, by exercising regularly, sleeping a contiguous eight hours and eating nutritious food. Then, one must discipline the mind, via daily meditation and creative expression; meditation allows centering in the present, and personal creativity allows self-expression without the ever-present external evaluation.
Internal evaluation (self-judgment or perfectionism) will lessen in harshness as the emerging leader no longer bases his or her self-worth on the opinions of others.
But so many leaders, both the emerging ones and the veterans, in any field, ignore these basic needs. They are hampered by their insecurities, which run rampant due to poor personal leadership.
And great leaders cannot lead with one foot stuck in the mud.
Alex cannot lead, but can be reached at apetruse@asu.edu.
