[Flash] Beware of the Lulu Delusion - MentorLead

[Flash] Beware of the Lulu Delusion

 

When my niece Lulu was 6, her 1st-grade teacher asked, “Lulu, I’m looking for a leader in class. Can you be a leader?

Lulu came home and frustratingly announced, “Mrs. Davis said she wants me to be a leader, but she does all the talking! How am I supposed to lead if she never stops talking?!”

This is the Lulu Delusion – we think leading is about talking.

But we lead best when we aren’t just talking. Instead, we are:

  • listening and empathizing
  • inquiring, discovering, and learning from others
  • mentoring and serving as a role-model
  • recognizing, appreciating, and applauding
  • owning our mistakes and apologizing
  • helping others be successful
  • connecting and collaborating for solutions

Lulu is right. People talk too much.

But what Lulu doesn’t get yet is that being asked to be “the leader” is just the beginning of the leadership journey, not the end.

© 2021. Ann Tardy and Mentor Lead. www.mentorlead.com | www.anntardy.com

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