Josh Collesano dot com

What Emerging Leaders Need To Excel

Last week Dan Sadlier asked if I would take part in a blog series called Letters From The Future. Each post would be from a young, emerging leader and would answer the question “what do you need from your leader(s) to excel?”

Rather than search the infinitely expanding blog world I wanted to share out of my own practical experiences what I believe to be 5 key things that emerging leaders need in order to excel.

PERMISSION

This isn’t freedom, this is different than freedom. Freedom is needed and a good thing, but permission… permission is intentional. Give me permission to fail, to lead, and to win. Let me show you what I can do without you tell me what you think I can do. This flows directly into the next thing young leaders need. Restriction.

RESTRICTION

Wait… what!? Yea I know… I so badly didn’t want to write this one down but the more I think about it the more it’s true. I see young leaders in my generation screaming for freedom (and that’s good) but I don’t think we necessarily know what we’re asking for. Give me complete freedom and chances are the project won’t get done on time, i’ll be less likely to change the vision to fit what I want and i’ll probably burn myself out in the end. Yes, I am an adult. Yes, I am responsible, but if you show me the sandbox that I get to play in, i’ll build a better sandcastle. Show me the beach… i’m going surfing.

RELATIONSHIP

In order for me to follow you I need to know YOU.  Not just what you do in the context of what we do together, but who you are. Healthy relationships are open, honest, communicate intentionality, and build trust. I love meeting with those who are leading me and hearing “so, what do you need?” or “what do you have for me”. It shows that a leader cares about me as a person, rather than a producer. The world needs intentional leaders, not managers.

VISION

give me THE vision, and if the above four are present then I will do the best with what i’ve been given to carry it with me in all that I do. If the vision is clear, or isn’t often communicated it leaves it open to interpretation, which can be a dangerous thing. It also helps if the vision makes sense. I work for a church and I can’t tell you how many mission statements, vision statements that i’ve seen that are a paragraph long which by the end of them you’re left scratching your head wondering how to make sense of it. 

PASSION

I will champion the vision and the mission if I believe in it. I believe it when I see that you believe it. I’m bringing my own form of awesome-sauce to the table but it’s so much more refreshing to work with and for leadership that is passionate about what they do and where they do it.    

I’m grateful for Dan’s friendship and continued leadership in my life. Read his blog. Follow his tweets.

Gridlock And The Creative Roadblock

Every day I take the same route to work

5 years, the same route. It gets me from point A (our apartment) to point B (NorthRidge).

Until 3 weeks ago…

Three weeks ago I left with plenty of time to get to my office on time and then I hit the worst traffic EVER. I don’t know why I sat in that traffic as long as I did but by the time I pulled into the parking lot at NorthRidge I had been in my car for 1 hour and 15 minutes. That’s more than twice the time it would normally take me. I could have easily gone another way, taken a different route to get to where I needed to go but for some reason…

I sat

I tweeted 

I checked email

I read my bible

I got angry 

tweeted and Instagram’d some more 

and then got angry again because I WASN’T GOING ANYWHERE!

I think the same can be said for our creative efforts. We sink into a formula that we think will get us from point A (awesome idea) to point B (awesome finished thing) the best way possible. Even when it doesn’t we stick to the same ways, the same path, the same routine, expecting results and determined to make it work. 

I think the best results come when we can adapt to our surroundings, see the road blocks and adjust our plan.

A few questions you can ask yourself if you’re finding that the usual way of doing things has slowed down:

1. What is preventing me from getting ______ done? 

2. Did I put those road blocks there or is someone else responsible? 

3. What’s the best thing I can do NOW to make progress?

4. Is there a better way?