Apprentice Leadership

The past eight days I have enjoyed a brief, but needed, respite from my daily routines of work and social media activities. The occasion was a vacation trip to Williamsburg, Virginia where we spent the week relaxing, dining, shopping, and visiting the many historic sites located there. I’m fascinated with history so the fact we had visited Colonial Williamsburg in the past didn’t dampen my interest in seeing everything again. One observation during our time there seems worth noting in this week’s post.

The persons who demonstrate trades found in the 18th century share one thing in common. All were elevated to their positions only after completing a rigorous apprenticeship under the guidance of a master craftsman. Most worked for at least seven years in this role before they could hold the position as a recognized expert in their craft. In colonial times these apprentices toiled for food and lodging while they learned about carpentry, blacksmithing, wig making, printing, or whatever their chosen vocation. The results of their labor didn’t always produce success, perhaps destining the failed apprentice to a life at the bottom of that era’s social and economic ranking.

Today’s youth have been shunning trade vocations at an alarming rate. While the number of manufacturing jobs in our country has been declining, not all can be blamed on technology and cheap overseas labor. The willingness to pursue a trade has been usurped by our society’s relentless appetite for instant success. Few, if any, high school or college graduates would relish the prospect of spending seven years mastering their craft. Perhaps this is even more pronounced when the topic of leadership is introduced.

While becoming a leader isn’t actually a trade, the process of developing leadership skills does share some parallels. I believe inspiring leadership is something that can be taught. Just like apprentices of old, successful leaders must be willing to learn and possess the discipline to persevere, often without recognition, in order to gain insights about themselves and those they aspire to serve.

A competent mentor is also essential, and perhaps one reason so few inspiring leaders actually emerge from our universities and organizational systems. My earliest mentors were persons of principle, who also possessed an optimistic outlook, a willingness to speak the truth, and plenty of common sense. They freely shared their knowledge, offered helpful positive or negative feedback about my performance, and challenged me to hone my talents into transferable skills. Like the master craftsmen I met this past week, they loved to teach others what they had gleaned from their vocation and about life.

During challenging times, the need for principled and skilled leadership is vital. Yet the persons charged with this role in our political and business systems seem largely bereft of the qualities and talents that master craftsmen possess. Influenced by public opinion, money, or power these leaders are often guided more by ego than a commitment to their craft. Where are today’s apprentice leaders expected to serve and learn when a model for inspirational leadership is mostly absent or dismissed as too simplistic? 

I deeply respect the knowledge and skills of the craft masters I met this past week. Their pursuit of excellence, attention to detail, commitment to learn, and willingness to pass on their art preserves history for future generations. Perhaps in some small way my work can introduce apprenticeship concepts that will change how the aspiring leaders I teach and mentor view their roles. If others do the same we may still be able to turn the curve on much of the failed leadership that has permeated our social, economic, political, and religious systems. A review of 18th century leaders might be a great place to start. Field trip anyone?

Words of Wisdom

How does one become a wise leader without being just a wise guy (or gal)? We typically define wisdom as how one makes use of the knowledge one already has. That makes wisdom seem morally neutral but we all know how leaders apply their knowledge in both good and bad ways. The Hebrew word for wisdom is Hokmah which also means skills and what is learned from experience. So how might a leader use knowledge, skills, and experiences to actually dispense wisdom?

Curtis Moyer is a local business leader in my community whose family founded a beef packing plant and grew it into a multi-million dollar enterprise that is now in the hands of a South American conglomerate. When Curt was getting started in the family business founded by his father he was sent to buy a cow from a recently widowed resident. His empathetic nature got the best of him and he paid more for the cow than his father had hoped. This lesson became a formative piece of wisdom that guided Curt in many of his future personnel decisions. As he aptly put it, “Not everyone can buy a cow.”

Unfortunately too many of today’s leaders ignore the wisdom of experience in favor of applying only their book knowledge to the various challenges faced in the business world. Leaders who ignore life lessons and basic behavioral skills may think they are wise but colleagues and direct reports probably have another “wise phrase” to describe their leadership.

In Robert Frost’s well-known poem, “The Road Not Taken”, the speaker finds himself in a woods, confronted with a fork in the road. Both paths are equally worn and leaf-covered. The speaker chooses a path, all the while telling himself the other path will be available to take another day. But Frost is clever enough to acknowledge how unlikely this will be. And in an ironic twist, the speaker admits that later in life, he may retell this story claiming to have taken a different path.

The choices leaders face shouldn’t be viewed as simply making a right or wrong decision. Regrets don’t qualify as wisdom. If Curt had simply felt bad about his poor business decision in overpaying for a cow the wisdom gained from this life lesson would have been lost. Instead, he understood that leaders should hire people to do jobs and hold responsibilities that aren’t inherently their strengths. This wise insight helped Curt’s business to prosper far beyond the capabilities he possessed.

Do the persons who know and work with you see a leader with wisdom or simply another wise guy that doesn’t get it? Yogi Berra once quipped, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” While a definite call to action, this hardly qualifies as useful advice. Yet, many of our decisions seem just as hollow to the persons we are called to serve. Perhaps that is why wisdom is such a difficult quality to achieve as a leader. It requires vulnerability and humility to know what you don’t know. Yet that very admission might be the wisest thing you have ever said to those who call you their leader.

Celebrating Work (Revisited)

In my early years of blogging I posted some reflections about work and thought it might be worthwhile to revisit this theme since many of you may never have seen it.

The annual Labor Day weekend seems like a good time to reflect on the value of work. That’s right, I believe work is worth celebrating especially if you are following God’s call in your life. For many leaders this calling never becomes obvious or is ignored to pursue the dreams that others have created for them.

So what does it mean to have a calling? One way I defined this in my own life was to create a Personal Mission Statement about ten years ago. It was an intentional process that included lots of reflection, prayer, and the use of a tool created by best selling author Laurie Beth Jones. The resulting mission statement has been guiding my work ever since. While I don’t habitually share my personal mission with others I’m offering it here to help you understand the concept better.

My personal mission is to discover, nurture, and affirm a lifelong love for learning in myself and others. This simple statement has many underlying meanings for me and is invaluable in guiding the choices I make about my career and work. For example, the creation of Higher Ground Consulting Group, LLC was a tangible way to incorporate my calling with my vocation. Imagine the excitement I feel when my love for learning is “caught” by my clients? It’s hard to express how gratifying it has been to come to the office every day knowing I’m doing what I love.

Does this brief personal example resonate with you? Are you doing what you love? Is your vocation also your calling? If you are like millions of leaders, and followers alike, the answer to these questions is likely a resounding “no”. In our endless pursuit of happiness and personal satisfaction many of us believe that money, status, and position is all that matters. While having a personal mission or calling doesn’t preclude living comfortably it should never be the primary focus of our attention. When you are following God’s call in your life these other areas become less important.

The world is waiting for leaders to answer this call and to serve others first. It won’t be easy and the journey may take you places that you never imagined. But consider the alternative, a life filled with regret or the nagging feeling there has to more. If you have a personal mission statement please share it with other readers by posting a comment. You may offer your thoughts about mine as well.

Perhaps this Labor Day holiday could be the start of a new chapter in your work and career. Next year this time you may actually be celebrating something more than the end of summer.