I recently came across an article that struck a chord with me as it relates to the gifts of lasting leadership.
The article, written by Scott Williams on his blog, Big Is the New Small, is about nurturing leaders—what they really are and what they can do for those they lead. Williams contends that nurturing leaders are not the soft pushover figures your mind may begin to conjure when you think about the terms “nurturing” and “leader” together. Rather, they are “some of the best kinds of leaders as they are focused on feeding, protecting, encouraging and developing those they lead.”
He goes on to say, “Nurturing Leaders don’t see people as an ends to a means, they see people as a gift to steward, a life to shape, a person to encourage and a leader to release. Just like a mother loves to see her offspring grow, develop and reach amazing heights, the nurturing leader loves to see those they lead grow, develop and reaching amazing heights.”
The nurturing leader is not the mother hen, coddling and protecting her young from the outside world.The nurturing leader is a lasting leader, giving the gifts of openness, time, listening, encouragement, and appreciation to those he or she leads so that they may grow, develop, and reach new heights.
These gifts will transform the working lives of those you lead and help them to become leaders themselves.
In A Leader’s Gift I show how to use these gifts not only to change the kind of leader you are but also to change the kind of person you are so that you can leave a lasting legacy of leadership in your organization and in your life.