Mastering circumstance
"Forever is composed of nows." Emily Dickinson
I'm reading, "Leadership," by Henry Kissinger and I just finished the chapter on French President Charles de Gaulle, his leadership and impact on France and the world. Kissinger labels de Gaulle a, "master of circumstance," for the way he seized the moment when it appeared for his own benefit and that of his nation. How true it is that leaders are masters of circumstance or said differently, great leaders master circumstance.
Life happens for the better or the worse and truly great leaders have a keen sense of periods of time or moments which call for inspiring leadership. These may be times when the whole team has lost faith. Something bad happens to an organization or a team falls behind in a game by a wide margin. A leader often stands alone in situations like these, able to see through the moment to a greater future, confident in his or her team's ability to weather the storm. Or it may be in a moment of celebration where the leader embraces and shares the jubilation yet reserves energy and thought to the next obstacle which will appear on the horizon.
Mastering circumstance may occur on a small scale when a leader recognizes a subtle call for help from one of his or her subordinates, stops what he or she is doing and takes action. Charles de Gaulle was especially gifted at understanding the moment, what it meant for his leadership and for his country. He inserted himself at key moments in World War II, even when he was doubted or cast aside. He stepped aside when he knew his values and convictions would be compromised. He inspired his people through his words at key places and moments in French history and his legacy lives on. When I fell ill with COVID last week, I found one of those circumstances to master. I told my team I trusted them and that I was confident in their ability. They stepped up and performed.
Mastering circumstance requires that leaders keep their radar on, picking up signals which indicate their leadership is needed. It requires leaders to know their organization, its people and the external environment on a deeper level. We certainly don't have nations to save but the concept of mastering circumstance is no less important. We have organizations and their people to save, influence, and inspire. What circumstance will you master next? Keep your radar on!
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell