Leading a major organization in today’s global experience is similar to Mark Twain’s perspective of a Mississippi River boat pilot when he stated that, “two things seemed pretty apparent to me. One was, that in order to be a Mississippi River boat pilot a man had got to learn more than any one man ought to be allowed to know; and the other was, that he must learn it all over again in a different way every 24 hours,” (Twain, 1883).
Your leadership style develops based on a number of factors including professional and personal experiences throughout one’s life. A good leader continually develops their leadership skills and is continually changing as new knowledge and new experiences are incorporated into one’s personal body of knowledge.
Over the years, I have worked with many executive leaders from various industries that face unique challenges. There is always going to be a learning curve, not just because the global business landscape is rapidly changing, but because our lives in a globally connected society are changing.
Mr. Twain’s quote resonates with me as an evolving leader and my personal leadership approach. As a leader, I believe in directness and uniformity, collaboration, and knowledge and tutelage. As a doctoral candidate in leadership, I have learned that these are all skills that can be developed within one’s self and need to be continually nurtured for a lifetime.
Although in most businesses, a leader may not be enacting decisions based on life and death situations, the leader needs to continually consider both internal and external factors that are affected by the decisions being implemented. The leaders must also be willing to take the responsibility, both positive and negative, for the decisions that are made under his/her command.
Leaders need to be collaborative in our ever changing global society. Collaboration is both internal and external. Within the organization, people/departments need to work more collaboratively to achieve the mission and vision set forth by the organization’s leadership. This same leadership and others within the organization need to operate more collaboratively externally with target audiences and global cultures.
Sometimes working collaboratively can also lead to opportunities in the business environment. According to Collins (2011), “successful leaders in a turbulent world are bold, risk-seeking visionaries,” (p. 9). He notes an example that Southwest Airlines established by learning from the practices and operations of their competitor, PSA Airlines, and used that knowledge to innovate further while PSA Airlines became non-existent within the industry. At one point, the two companies even trained together for mutual benefit.
Education and continual learning is a staple of good leadership. There is always opportunity to gain knowledge and learn from experiences. Look to gain from experiences outside of formal education and explore self-guided education to continue learning and developing oneself. I have always had a strong belief in life-long learning and strive to help others see the benefit in life-long learning.
Globalism, technology, and diversity also add to the rough waters that a leader must navigate in the 21st Century. According to Barak (2013), “the successful management of an increasingly diverse workforce is among the most important global challenges that corporate leaders…face,” (no page). We operate in a “smaller world” because of our use of technology and our easy global reach. As leaders, we need to be aware of must more including gender and ethnic differences, social policies, and individual disabilities and sexual preferences. All of which can affect and company both internally and externally.
Mark Twain’s quote is very significant as an evolving leader. Twain supports the fact that one needs to be acutely aware of both the internal and external factors in leadership decisions. He also supports the fact that we always need to be learning and growing both personally and professionally to be the best leaders we can be.
References
Barak, M. (n.d.). 2013. Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace (Third ed.).
Cashman, K. (2008). Leadership from the inside out: becoming a leader for life. (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Collins, Jim; Hansen, Morten T. (2011-10-11). Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck–Why Some Thrive Despite Them All. HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
Twain, Mark. “Life on the Mississippi.” The Atlantic Monthly (1883): n. pag. Life Onthe Mississippi by Mark Twain. Web. 16 Jan. 2016.