By Bob Vanourek
I was flying from Cleveland to Chicago to meet my wife, June, and two young sons. They were flying from Los Angeles to meet me for a brief Christmas holiday. I had been “too busy” to fly back to help her cope with our toddler and the baby. (It is really so embarrassing to relate this story now.)
I was 29 years old and working nightmare hours for a high-flying firm that was rapidly acquiring companies. My job was to fly out and spend all week, every week, “integrating” the acquired firms. “Integrating” meant consolidating their plants, cutting duplicate costs, and often firing their founders. The look of disbelief on those entrepreneurs’ faces when they were terminated just broke my heart.
In Chicago my wife asked me, “Why are you doing this?”
I was neglecting her and our sons and crushing my own soul.
I said, “I’m doing this for us, for our family, so we can have a better life.”
Her snap-back stunned me: “No, you’re not. You’re doing this for you.”
I knew in my heart she was right.
I was a Harvard MBA and ex-military officer with one goal: “I want to run something.” That was it. For me to be in charge, running something, anything, as long as I was in charge.
So, with my dear wife’s blessing, I quit that job outright.
I spent the next 30 years on a quest to find a better way to lead. When I found that better way, I joined with my son, Gregg, to write about leadership. We interviewed leaders in 61 organizations in 11 countries (including Cisco, eBay, Google, Mayo Clinic, and Zappos). The subtitle of our award-winning book tells it all: “building excellent, ethical, and enduring organizations.”
Mastering the art of leadership starts with understanding why you want to lead.
If you don’t honestly understand why you want to lead, you may be driven by the misguided ego that drove me.
Ask yourself, “Why do I want to lead?”
Jot down some honest notes. If it’s all about you, then you may need to rethink your motivations.
Mastering the art of leadership begins with truly understanding why you want to lead.
In the next blog, I’ll tell you about a leadership lightning bolt that jolted me forward on my quest to “find a better way to lead.”
This blog is the first in a series of 30 3-minute recordings for Avanoo.com by Bob Vanourek on “Mastering the Art of Leadership.” You may purchase all 30 recordings at Bob’s special, discounted price of $30 by contacting elise@avanoo.com. You can listen to the the first three recordings free by clicking on: https://www.avanoo.com/spa/corp/#/first3/547