Targeted Leaders

Of all the things I learned during my brief time in “Boy Scouts,”

three remain ingrained in my head to this day. The “scout oath,” the

“scout law,” and the “scout motto” (Be Prepared). The first two have to

do with character, but the last one has to do with “corporeity” or as I like

to say, “the existence of realities beyond one’s control,” especially for

leaders.

Take for instance the old idiom, “sticks and stones may break my

bones, but words will never hurt me.” Truth is, sticks and stones may

break your bones, but words can break your heart and mind! So, it is

always best to “Be Prepared” by understanding how to ARM oneself by

learning techniques that assist in absorbing the unexpected, responding

wisely, and manifesting healthy self-control and solid leadership.

I’ve interviewed numerous leaders who stumbled under the

shocking pain of reality when they’ve heard what people were saying

about them. Some didn’t acknowledge or appreciate what was said,

Some returned verbal shots in anger while others slithered away into an

insecure and isolated state just because they weren’t prepared for what

they heard. As a leader, you must be aware that many people speak

emotion before wisdom has time to engage their minds, but the wise

know wisdom must prevail.

Being prepared as a leader is to understand and accept that you

are always a verbal target. Being a target is not something to fear, it is a

leader’s facilitator. It is like a verbal flashlight shedding light on a leader’s

problem areas requiring personal or professional attention, and more

importantly giving clarity to potential production. If tapping into potential

is the primary goal of authentic leaders, and it is, then leaders must

utilize all available tools to mine for potential in themselves and others.

This is a challenge for “risk averse” leaders who fear or get frustrated by

verbal targeting. Sadly, these types of leaders cannot lead effectively.

Skillful leaders are always prepared by ARMing themselves to

handle any type of verbal targeting, both negative and positive. They

view targeting as an instrument for successful authentic leadership.

Authentic leaders give people something to aim for, not aim at! What

about you?