Oftentimes we’ve heard of your term “surrender” however the query I need to ask is what’s the Meaning of Surrender in Leadership? Surrender & Leadership in the same sentence is Taboo if not a blaring Oxymoron. However, consider that when it comes to Leadership what is the Meaning of Surrender?
Let’s first start by defining the word surrender.
Surrender – To relinquish possession or control of to another because of demand or compulsion.
Looking at that definition can immediately spark a negative tone and it can also throw mud in the face of leadership. At least it seems that way. As a matter of fact, Someone who breaks down surrender in different perspectives well is Betsy Chasse in her article “True Which means of Surrender”. She gives a simple yet full look at how the meaning of surrender can relate to negative connotations often. She then breaks away from the usual and talks about how changing the perception of surrender can have a positive light. When you have a chance, check it out, it’s a quick read.
Moving on, what I want to do is give you two things that will have an immediate impact on your leadership when it comes to the Meaning of Surrender in Leadership.
Two Leadership Suggestions when it comes to the Meaning of Surrender.
The Meaning of Surrender In Leadership Related to Failing: First let’s start here. There is this misconception that failing is this bad, horrible, and hard to recover from event that happens. The unspoken ultimate goal especially for someone in Leadership is to avoid failure like the Black Plague. Yet, when you really look at the definition of failure it simply states “nonperformance of something due, required, or expected.” The reason why people think that failure or failing is such an uneventful situation is because the context of failure or failing is somewhere down the road affixed to you being a failure. When you look at the above definition and you just set it apart from “you” and used in the correct context failing or failure is a welcome phenomenon. Why? Because failing is pointing to a lack of performance which opens the window for you as a leader to immediately pinpoint where the leaks are, the breakdowns happen and how to rectify them.
So when you look at it, it is like getting arrows with blinkers pointing right to the issue and what’s needed to address the issue as quickly as possible. So I want you to say this “I Surrender to Failing in Leadership!” Trust me, just continue to take “you” out with the equation and focus on the fact that every time there is a failure, surrender to it knowing that it is going to give you what’s needed in order to correct it.
The Meaning of Surrender In Leadership Related to Taking A Step Back: There are two types of leaders. One leader who thinks they are leading when in essence he/she is a glorified Manager. The other leader is someone who is not only leading by example, but also leading by taking a step back. Having worked in Corporate America for about 20 years in the Law arena, I was always in the face of rules and regulations, and I have to do this and don’t do that. I remember having moments of “I choose to step out” “I wish to create this” even the “this can be streamlined” thoughts. Usually I worked with the common leader which was a glorified manager posing as a Leader. In those cases, I would share an idea and as quickly as it came out of my mouth it was shot down. My The immediate response would be to shut down and not offer anything in the future as my way of saying “I’ll show them!”
I remember one law firm I worked at that I tried this again and it just so happened that I met the 2nd type of leader mentioned above. My leader at this firm proved themselves to be such a leader that when I shared my ideas, they actually took it into consideration and said “let’s try it your way.” Now, there were times when my suggestions flat out sucked. Then there were two suggestions in particular that literally after I implemented increased the bottom line in net profits by 25% and also decreased the accounts receivable turn around time by 2 weeks. So not only did the organization benefit in the bottom line, we were also getting money faster. Once I saw that, I wanted to give more to the company. And I did.
So I said all of that to say this. When it comes to surrendering to taking a step back you will get some ideas that don’t work, and then you can also get the ideas that will have an impact on your bottom line. When you surrender to stepping back, you also cultivate a relationship with the team that you are leading that fosters creativity, vibrant thinking and also spawns leadership in your team. You can send your team to training month after month, day after day and it will never compare to this relationship building with your team AND you save on the expenses of training, and experience increased morale of your team.
So in your leadership after reading this “What Will be the Meaning of Surrender” to you?
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