This may be a little out of ordinary for LeadershipVoices.com, but a thought came to me recently. Now that alone is not necessarily “blogworthy”. But, I am going to try to make a leadership application from that thought.
Several years ago I gave up on dealing with my hair. What hair that I had left was not, nor had ever been, very cooperative. It tended to want to go wherever it wanted despite the lotions and potions that I piled on it to keep it down. So, one day, I asked my barber to make a suggestion. She suggested that I just go to a “#1 or #2” razor guard, cut it really short and be done with it. I did it and I loved it.
You can’t imagine the freedom came with that decision. I no longer had to wait in line for my particular barber that remembered how to cut my hair. I now was no longer what barbers call a ”Chair Cut”. I was now a ”House Cut”. All I needed to tell whoever cut my hair was “#1” and they would take it from there.
Simple.
Easy.
In fact, it was liberating.
Now for the application to leadership.
How over complicated do we make our lives? How overcomplicated do we make our leadership journey? Lately, I am working on simplifying my leadership journey. Instead of being caught up in all of the trendiest leadership and management methodologies that you can pay thousands of dollars to learn from some guru, I want to focus on the essentials. I want to cut out the extra stuff that culture and traditions have piled on. Now, don’t worry. I am not giving up on reading and trying to stay abreast of all that is out there in the leadership development realm. I am a long-time student and observer of leadership from a distance and also from up close. And I will continue to do that. Even when what I see isn’t very pretty.
I just want to simplify things and focus on being the leader that I am called to be for those that matter the most to me and not the trappings of and titles that sometimes accompany a leadership position in secular (and even ministry) positions.
I think it is just that I am starting to catch a glimpse of my own mortality and want to make sure that I am focusing on the “Object” and not the “Frame” that it sits in.
I dont disagree with the thought that simplicity in life and leadership is a worthwhile pursuit. When I gained most of my experience we had a philosophy, “KISS”, Im sure you have seen it elsewhere, Keep It Simple, Stupid. But I wonder after reading your post, if our issue is that everyone wants to be different to be separated from the pack? We have discussed on this forum, I know I have, about not being a sheep. Do you think the value prop here is Chair cut on the inside, House cut on the outside? I dont want to be like everyone else. I guess I see where the relief stems from, less to worry about, relieve some stress….I am very interested in more discussion on this topic. Simple may be better, but I think I want my leader to be a chair cut, however the house cut looks good on you.
You know, you have an interesting point. I was certainly looking at it from my perspective and projecting the value of that on those around me. I will have to consider your thoughts and you may see another article on this next week.