Just as lunch was starting, the director stood up and asked to see six campers at his table. I was one of them.
Uh oh.
We all sheepishly walked over, unsure what we had done. We sat down.
“First of all, no one’s in trouble,” he began. (Phewf) “I’ve been noticing that you six are almost always the ones who start clearing tables and washing dishes after meals. It shows such good initiative. Thank you. But, I don’t want any of you to start any kind of clean up after lunch today, okay? Don’t say anything about it. Just sit and wait, and let’s see what happens.”
This was Leadership Development Camp (LDC) in July of 1996. We were a group of around 20 teenagers, 15-18 years old, and we spent two weeks, traveling around to various camps, to learn about leadership.
We had lessons, small groups, work projects, a canoe trip, and various opportunities to jump in and help run camp. It was a great model for a leadership camp because you could learn a lesson and immediately walk out the door and put it into practice.
(It still runs, and I highly recommend checking it out at https://www.leadershipcamp.ca)
What I remember most was the hands’ off approach the six leaders took. They didn’t sleep in our cabins, so we were responsible for deciding when to go to bed and getting ourselves up in the morning. They didn’t get involved in how we packed the bus or whether we got all our stuff. They wouldn’t even step in when we arrived at a camp site and needed to set up tents and cook supper before nightfall.
They stood back and let us figure it out. For better or worse.
(Having now been a leader for 30 years, I know how hard it is to stay quiet. But we learned way more from the struggle than we would have learned from their intervention.)
So, it was strange to have the director ask us to hold back. He didn’t usually step in to alter the group dynamic.
For the rest of my life, I will remember how hard it was to sit at my table and wait that day. Lunch finished. No one made a move to clear tables. Everyone just kept chatting and laughing.
Time passed. Well over half an hour.
It was surreal. I was physically uncomfortable. And shocked that no one was doing anything.
I don’t remember how it ended. Isn’t that strange? Maybe someone eventually asked, “Don’t we have stuff to do?” or maybe the director finally pointed out what was happening.
We cleaned up and debriefed the experience as a group. The point, as I remember it, was that leaders need to be aware of what’s happening and take initiative - not wait passively for someone else to start.
I’ve held onto that lesson for 30 years. Take initiative. Don’t wait for someone else.
But the other thing I learned that day is what a profound difference it makes on a team when someone is willing to start. Because we had never had any issue with people cleaning up; everyone jumped in and worked hard. The team worked together amazingly well - as long as someone started.
Instead of asking, “Why me? Why should I be the first?” when I see something that needs to be done, I ask, “Why not me? I can get that started.”
Last week, I wrote about stopping to help a man who had ODd on the street. Hundreds of people passed that man and didn’t stop. But, once I was there, people jumped in very quickly.
My choice that day was a direct result of this lesson at camp: Take initiative; don’t wait for someone else.
So, here’s my question for you:
Think of something you’ve been waiting to see in your team.
How can you stop waiting for someone else? How can you take initiative?
Don’t get caught up in “Why me?” or worry about whether you should or shouldn’t have to. Leadership isn’t like that. It’s going ahead, going first, taking a risk, charting a course.
And, chances are, once you start, you’ll see a lot of people ready to come with you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are you ready to take the next step in your leadership?
Let’s talk about how I can help!
コメント