The common name they may go by in our normal awareness? Leaders. Held within them is the promise of a future the rest of us may not sense yet. They lead in that they start to move toward it before the rest of us do, and they are so certain and self-assured, so positive and full of energy, that they pull us along with them. We follow very willingly, feeling comfortable in their confidence. What we do sense, is that within their Kipuka a spot will be made for us to take root, find nourishment in fertile ground, and grow too. We are sure they will add some richness to our lives. These leaders are not always larger than life. They are not always older, better traveled, or more experienced than we are. In fact, they could even be our children. They are leaders who may not have a title of leadership, but they act like leaders, and so in our picture frame of our present world, that’s who they are. That’s who we want them to be.
So if title can’t clue you in to recognize leadership when you see it, what does? The vegetation on the Kipuka stands out so remarkably when it is surrounded by nothing but hardened black lava. The best leadership is not as obvious in our everyday consciousness. How can you get better at putting yourself in the company of the leaders worth following, the ones who will mean something great in your life? What does “great leading” look like to you? If you feel you have an answer, or a story to share, do share it with us here. Why? So we can learn from the great leaders of our world, and try to be like them. You see I believe that a) leadership matters, and b) that leading is something we can all do. As I wrote in Managing with Aloha, titles and positions of power are irrelevant. As a coach, I want to help people lead when they feel the calling to do so. As a member of the human race, I want more of us to lead effectively when we believe we can, and when we should. I long for us to be more impatient, lead more often and in more small ways, so we can banish apathy and complacency. It seems to me that we tend to think of leadership as way bigger than it really is in real-life, normal practice. I like the thought that we can each be the best in some way and with some thing, when we choose to excel at those things we can do, and do exceptionally well, versus striving to be the best with what might be out of our league. I don’t think that’s a condescending thought at all; it’s liberating. What it means to me is that we can all stop waiting for a looming presence of leadership to come save us, excite us, or otherwise rock our world. We can do it ourselves in whatever small ways we can, just like the Kipuka, seemingly alone and small in the vast destruction of rivers of lava. Because of the Kipuka life does not end. Because of us, possibility never ends. Everything is impossible unless the first person does it. Will you be that person? Article References: Create your Kipuka “Great Leading” means what, exactly? Rosa Say is the author of Managing with Aloha, Bringing Hawaii’s Universal Values to the Art of Business and the Talking Story blog. She is also the founder and head coach of Say Leadership Coaching, a company dedicated to bringing nobility to the working arts of management and leadership.
