Ruminations on Leadership

By Mike Taylor

Drotinn of Mannerbund

Leadership is a word bandied about far too often by people who know little or nothing about it or by those self-proclaimed “experts” who claim to know the secrets to its success. For me, both categories are the same and are worse than useless, for they distract those of the folk seeking to learn. In reality, those few who truly know leadership rarely talk about it; instead, they demonstrate it with their every action and deed.

Before breaking down some important aspects and considerations of leadership, permit me to provide a little context. Since the mid-1980s, I have experienced military leadership in many forms – strong, weak, and the wavering middle ground. Likewise, I have learned from a wide variety of leaders – tyrants and pushovers, the obnoxious and the milquetoast, the loud incompetents and the quiet professionals. During the preceding decades, I have been both the led and the leader. I have succeeded many times, but I have also failed far too many times to count. Battered, bruised, and – sometimes – bloodied, I have learned key lessons along the way. In the following paragraphs, I will share some of the more important ones.

To be an effective leader, one must first learn to follow. Nearly every leader the world over started at the bottom and worked their way up, learning along the way. Some had leadership thrust upon them, with very mixed results. The best leaders learned by being led, observing their leaders, and learning lessons along the way. They take notes on the positive and negative experiences, develop their personal leadership style, and hone it through practice. But first they allow themselves to be led. Those who cannot be led become the worst leaders, for they have not learned the valuable lessons required for true leadership development.

Before leading others, one must first lead oneself. You are your first leadership challenge. Take charge of yourself, exercise discipline, develop trust, and grow into the leader you know you can be. Good leaders are self-confident, capable, and trustworthy, but first these attributes require development from the self. Set standards for yourself, hold yourself accountable, and take responsibilities for your successes and failures. Learn personal lessons, refine your approach, and continue to develop into the leader you want to be. Use yourself as your personal training area. Challenge yourself and rise above mediocrity.

Bloom where you are planted. This one is simple. Regardless of your ambitions, delusions of grandeur, or underappreciated unique talents, your must prove yourself before earning higher positions of responsibility. This is important for two reasons. First, this is a constant. True leaders always prove themselves, regardless of where their responsibilities lie. They take their duty seriously and do it honorably and to the best of their ability. They may have their eye on a future higher prize, but their focus is in the present. Second, they know they must earn the respect and trust of others

before ascending to higher positions. And they would not want it any other way, for earning something honestly is the honorable path.

Rely on your advisors, but never forget the decision is yours. As the saying goes, “no man is an island.” This holds true in leadership, as well. You may be the leader of a group – large or small – but you are not in your position alone. Smart leaders surround themselves with the advisors, experts, and others they need to succeed and with whom they share the burden and on whom they trust for advice. No one can survive long going it alone, and this is as true of leadership as it is for everything else. Weak leaders oftentimes delegate too much; smart leaders delegate authority but not responsibility.

You alone are responsible for everything those you lead do or fail to do. Related to the prior lesson, this one is a reminder that you, as a leader, are solely responsible for everything within your purview. If it falls within your area of responsibility, then it is yours. Seek advice where you need it, but be decisive and take responsibility. This is where the good leaders separate themselves from the weak leaders. Take full responsibility and accept all consequences of your actions and your decisions. Never lay the blame at the feet of others.

Stay in your lane and keep others in theirs. Good leaders know how separate command, leadership, and management from each other. Leaders lead and managers manage. This seems obvious but all too often, leaders overreach and try to do it all. Leaders lead people, managers manage assets – this is the basic difference. But there is a further issue. Leaders have different strengths and weaknesses, capabilities and limitations, skills and competencies. In the military, you would not want the Chaplain to serve as an infantry battalion commander. Similarly, in a folkish community, members of the gothar serve as spiritual leaders with a very specialized focus area. Leaders in a hierarchical organizational structure have other specialized focus areas that require different skills and talents. As a result, organizational leaders and gothar serve as a highly potent team that works together for the benefit of the group at large. The two should not overlap their responsibilities if possible. Doing so over the long run means that neither responsibility will get the attention it deserves and needs.

There are many lessons we can learn by observing and experiencing the leadership of others. We would be wise to learn from their mistakes and not make the same ones when we take on the mantle of leader ourselves. As with most things, everyone’s experiences will be different and your mileage may vary. I write to you with this in mind and I hope you remember that as you read these words. My purpose is to provide you some of the lessons I have learned so you do not have to learn the same ones. I share because I care.

Go forth and do good things. Your folk depend on you and expect your best.