In our early study of and writing about Serving Leaders, I often swapped stories with my co-author, Ken Jennings, on a finding that we both seemed to encounter, time and again, in our various workplace engagements. The finding was simply this: The first evidence of a great leader in the making was a company or organization full of great leaders surrounding them.

We liked – and still like – the paradoxes of life and leadership, and this one didn’t escape our notice. “You’re in charge principally to charge up others,” was how we said it then. Here’s a way I like to say it now: â€œThe greatness of a great leader will often make its first appearance in an act of leadership demonstrated by someone else.”

I would suggest that the field of leadership still hasn’t nailed that which is the essence of leadership. This word – leadership – is a relatively young word, and the science and art of leadership is barely into its second century. (“Lead” is a very old word, of course; what I’m speaking of here is the word, “leadership,” and the discipline of its study and practice.)

Joseph C. Rost, whose untimely passing in 1988 left a huge hole in the field of leadership, did us all the favor of carving the field of leadership down to a more focused and sensible shape. “Leadership is an influence relationship,” a piece of Rost’s famous definition, now can be heard coming out of the mouths of every contemporary leadership guru. Leadership is not force, manipulation, mere achievement, or any number of often-laudable things. Leadership is influence, exercised inside a relationship that produces more leadership.

There have been many terrific business owners, entrepreneurs, chief executives, and general managers who got the job done, kept the train on schedule, met customer expectations, made money, and, quite frankly, kept the organization looking very good! But, on the day they stepped down or retired, the job stopped getting done, the train flew off the rails, and entropy settled in everywhere. Why? Because these owners and executives weren’t true leaders. They didn’t focus on bringing up more leaders, to take over once they were gone.

Essentially, “Leadership Job #1" is identical to “Succession Planning 101.”

As a great leader today, you must concentrate on teaching and coaching your people to know, value, see, and do what you know, value, see, and do. This takes rigor and intentionality. Fortunately, the 12 - 18 months of focused work this requires will not only prepare your company to thrive without you, it will cause accelerated growth for your company as you bring others up into greater capacity. I would say this falls into the category of “win-win.”

Throw out whatever remains of the notion that “making stuff” and “making money” is what it’s all about. If you’ve been successful for a while, you’ve already thrown much of this notion out. What it’s all about is growing people, serving people, adding value, getting better, pursuing excellence. Build a people and leadership growth flywheel, and profit is maximally served, as is the preparation of future leaders to keep the organization’s growth at a high trajectory.

Find a leader for yourself. Hire a coach. Become a learner. Whatever path works, secure your ability to pour yourself into those who follow you by being a person who is poured into. At the Center for Serving Leadership, we have established cohorts of great leaders around the country who are ready to serve others, and to be served, when it comes to their own and others’ vital leadership development and growth.

Leadership is brought to life through flow. We can’t give if we aren’t receiving. We don’t grow leaders if leaders aren’t growing us. In leadership, like begets like, and that fact applies to the process of growing leaders.

Let’s simplify: We can’t give that which we don’t receive. If you want to grow great leaders, you need to be grown by great leaders.

Photo by Toni Kellar (Oregon Coast in June)

As first published at johnstahlwert.com