Finding Leaders

In 1994, I was a merchant naval officer, a deck cadet then.  While we were crossing the Atlantic, we got caught in a storm.  The Chief Mate had not read the weather reports, and had neglected to batten down the hatches.  We had a New Year’s Day party to celebrate, and we were all inebriated.  At 0300h Local Time, the Hand of Poseidon slapped us.  We drive right into the centre of a tropical revolving storm, a hurricane, as you call it.  We lost steering, and I was at the helm. 

Our Master, or Captain, as you landlubbers know it, stood at that bridge, and stared into the whites of nothingness in the night.  He seemed immovable, as he gave steering commands.  “Steady as she goes, helmsman.  Ride the waves.  Starboard 10.  Port 15.  Brace. …”  And so forth.  We were there for hours.  We rode 30 metre waves, the rollercoaster ride from Hell. 

Years later, when I was a commissioned officer, I realised that all he did was look like he knew what he was doing.  There is no real way to go through a storm like that except point at the waves, and pray.  And that is leadership.  Max De Pree was an American businessman and writer.  He wrote “Leadership is an Art”.  In it, he said, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.  The last is to say thank you.  In between, the leader is a servant.”  This was in 1987. 

A leader redefines reality for the people he leads.  He projects certainty and confidence.  A leader cannot be seen to be defeated.  He cannot shift blame.  He cannot hide.  He is the persona of everyone’s collective hope and vision.  He articulates it, he makes it real, and he points them in the right direction. 

In this age, we talk a lot about leadership.  But after all that is said and done, a lot is said, and little is done.  There are those who imagine that leadership comes from a title.  Authority comes from a title.  There are those who believe leadership comes from seniority.  Long-service awards come from seniority.  There are those think that being a leader is about being popular.  Public relations comes from popularity.  None of these is intrinsic to leadership.  So what is leadership then? 

Leadership is to be like that master mariner in a storm.  No matter how the ship is tossed in the ocean, no matter how terrified we are, no matter how the world seems to have gone mad, we look to that man, and we follow what he says.  This is not because he has a title, or a long-service award, or is popular.  This is because we want to get through that storm, and we believe he can get us there.  So we ask ourselves, when there is a crisis, or a challenge, or a problem, do people under us look to us for a solution?  If they do, then we are leaders.  Otherwise, we are merely managers.