LEADERSHIP LAW #11
Reflections on John C. Maxwell’s “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”
Several years ago, I was responsible for all quality assurance in a luxury hotel. I wanted to create an Olympic Games for the entire hotel that would train our staff on our quality standards as well as be a significant team-building event. We established a circle of advisors from several departments to help bring the idea to fruition. I remember thinking that some of the people we invited may contradict what we are trying to do because their personalities were not very enthusiastic. To my surprise, their ideas made the Olympic Games even better. It became more inclusive and brought together the back of the house and the front of the house departments in a more collaborative way.
Leaders who diversify their inner circle are more equipped to lead in the best direction. One person cannot manage a project by themselves. I used to hate doing group projects in school because I was the one doing all the work. You will find, though, that if given autonomy to create and the ability to share their ideas, people on your team are more helpful. When you get the right people in your inner circle, the company is better because of it.
President Lincoln was famously known for keeping enemies in his inner circle. Gabriel Medina walks us through his reasoning in one of our past posts.
The actor, composer, and rapper extraordinaire, Lin-Manuel Miranda, has a strong inner circle that he trusts with putting together his music. The infamous Pixar team worked ideas out in their inner circle on a napkin over lunch. Mastermind groups help emulate this same concept.
All your team is there for the same purpose, but you all may have different roads to get there. A map is a better tool when you have multiple routes. Days will come when a collision happens, but you will be fortunate to discover that since you built an inner circle of those you respect, you will have alternative routes to reach your destination.
