So when I left my previous employer of 27 years on the 27th of January back in 2020, I attempted to launch this endeavor. A blog to share my thoughts on leadership using my experiences in the rear view mirror while looking out the windshield. Let’s say the launch was only successful in its failure.
Having managed large scale projects on the bleeding edge, failure is a friend. It is the friend that teaches.
I am back and let’s see how this goes…
at27.
As I mentioned before, I have had the privilege to witness 4 different types of leaders come into the top leadership role. Three of those leaders came from outside the organization and the community in which my company was serving. The other was an internal promotion. One thing they all had in common was they had a 1st day and whether they choose to or not, they all had to show up.
Some will show up taking time to learn, some will show given a mandate by those who hired them to solve a problem, and others will show up wanting to prove themselves to those who brought them into the organization. There are many ways different people show in the role of leadership.
I am now the 5th leader I know who has shown up in an organization. I am outsider to it and the community it which it serves. I am choosing to take my time to get to know the organization and the community to who I am outsider, it is how I am showing up.
Ultimately in the end we all show up and we are being watched and measured. All leaders, no matter what, show up everyday. We have good days and bad days, but we all have to show up.
The first day and how we show up will be the first step in our long term success. If we mis-step, it isn’t over; just harder. There is no right way, just different ways.
In the end, it doesn’t matter if you are the leader who is CEO, a supervisor in the middle, or even the people on the front lines, we all have to show up every moment.
at 27 years - Memories of Leadership, Leadership for the Future 