You have to love Coach Saban.
He always speaks truth. In technical parlance, you could say he has a high “signal-to-noise” ratio.
So, What is Leadership About? Leadership Is About Benefitting Others
In this case, he’s spot on. If you find yourself leading people for - your - benefit, that’s often better described as manipulation. True, authentic leadership is the act of giving to someone else for their benefit with nothing expected in return.
If benefits come your way as a result of your leadership, that’s ok, but it’s the expectation of the benefits that I think he’s talking about.
Said slightly differently, the act of leading is giving without an expectation of return. It’s a one-way act. What is Leadership About? Leadership is about benefitting others and is the best way to say it.
If you are expecting something in return, then just be honest with yourself and call it a two-sided transaction with the terms and conditions of the “return payment” being undefined. Be open about disclosing your needs to the other side as well and make sure they are ok with it.
The key principle is to think about your internal motivation of your actions.
Awareness of these internal mental dynamics is key part in developing your Emotional Intelligence.
Meaningful Quote Social Media Series
Quotes are often a dime a dozen on the internet and can be more noise than signal. Our intent with the Meaningful Quotes Social Media Series is to curate - meaningful - quotes and pass them along.
About The Nexus Initiative
The Nexus Initiative is a boutique executive coaching firm whose mission is to develop emotionally intelligent and mentally agile leaders and teams. Our approach leverages real-world operating experience, multi-disciplinary thinking, industry-leading certifications, and a Wharton MBA.
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