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Unintentional Leaders
by Chrissie Anderson Peters
Those with no real training in or natural inclination towards leadership nevertheless sometimes find themselves thrust into leadership positions. One common misconception about leadership is that leaders are somehow born with the qualities that make them effective. Even the great football coach Vince Lombardi maintained, however: "Leaders aren't born; they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work."
Often, people are interested in "helping out," but have no real desire to become leaders. Our professional organizations and institutions are filled with these people, who are at the heart and soul of what the profession is doing and becoming. Often, this is a matter of being in the right place at the right time (or, from the perspective of the unintentional leader, the wrong place at the wrong time). Sometimes it is simply by default, because no one else will step forward. Sometimes it is because a colleague sees some glimmer of promise within others that those people never even imagined, much less observed, in themselves.
In the following sections, I’ll discuss how to identify these very capable unintentional leaders, how to help them accept the opportunities presented to them, and how to help them learn to accept the responsibilities, challenges, and work that come with leadership. These can all seem daunting to anyone in leadership positions, but especially to those who did not actively seek such positions.
Good Leader Qualities: Identifying Unwilling Leaders
What makes a good leader? Their qualities include a passion - or at the very least, an interest - in a cause, organizational skills and/or abilities, a willingness to share of themselves, and effective communication skills.
But there is something much deeper at the heart of true leadership; the best leaders are those willing to serve others. In his book titled The Proverbial Cracker Jack®: How to Get Out of the Box and Become the Prize, motivational speaker and teacher Dale Henry explains "service" in this way: "If you had a mother like mine, chances are she wiped your runny nose [and other things]... Wouldn't you agree that she served you better than you have ever been served any other time in your entire life? She almost died giving you life, and then served you until the moment you could serve yourself... In esteem, where do you hold your mother - as a servant of low esteem, a lowly [unimportant] person, or as a servant [person] of high esteem?"
His point is that those who truly serve are held in high regard by those they serve. Those who serve well inherently understand what it means to lead, even if they do not think of what they do as leading. Through giving - of their time, energy, and talents - they make a difference in many ways. Make note of those who serve well and thrive on it, even if in seemingly small ways. These are the people we need to look to as leaders and to help to find their ways into leadership positions - if leadership positions do not make their way to those individuals.
Connecting Servers With Appropriate Opportunities
Frequently, those who are best at serving wait until asked to do something. This can be because they don't want to intrude on what they perceive to be the order of things, because they are not quite sure of how to approach the leadership opportunity, or because they are simply too meek to seize an opportunity for themselves. Whatever their reasons, though, be prepared to intercede on the side of fate, chance, or luck. Talk up opportunities to these folks; make them aware of opportunities that they may be well-suited for, but may not know about - opportunities that they may not otherwise pursue. Groom them to move up. Lead by example, or help find someone else who can mentor this person as he/she becomes more acclimated to leadership roles.
Helping Others See Themselves As Leaders
In fall 2001, when I first joined the library that I'm still privileged to work for, two coworkers told me that I needed to join Boone Tree. The Boone Tree Library Association is our regional affiliate of the Tennessee Library Association, a small group that meets twice annually and offers programming of interest to the spectrum of information agencies in our geographical region. I'll admit that I am - and have been since college - a joiner, if the group seems interesting to me, and this one did.
One year later - that's only two meetings, mind you - I found myself being voted in as the new President. No one else ran against me; I wasn't even asked to serve until the week of elections. No one else seemed interested in doing anything to help Boone Tree lose what I affectionately termed its status as "the best-kept secret in the Tri-Cities." Agreeing to serve was an opportunity for me to get to know people from other information agencies in our region, an opportunity for me to grow as a leader, to make sure that the next slate of candidates was ready well before elections, and to do my best to have more than one person running for each position. During my two-year tenure, I watched others grow - in the organization and through other professional contacts.
Most people accepted candidacy without excessive arm-twisting, but some needed more coaxing than others. The next year, all offices except one had two people running. The membership seemed excited to have choices - especially choices of people who showed so much interest in the organization.
Before the election, one person jokingly asked why I had it out for her that way. I explained that I know that she has a lot of potential and that Boone Tree would be a great place for her to explore her leadership talents and hone her leadership skills. It was obvious that she did not think of herself as a leader, yet she realized the desire to serve and to be a functional part of what Boone Tree could be. She made up excuses as to why I should find someone else who would be better-suited, who had more experience, who knew the people in the group better. But in the end, she agreed to run, and is now the new Vice-President. I have worked closely with her over the past three years. She has accepted the challenge I presented when I asked her to consider running, and is now living up to her leadership potential - not because she sought to do so on her own, but because I helped her mesh with that opportunity.
Summing Up
If leaders are made and not born, as Vince Lombardi believed, we have an immense obligation to ourselves and the world around us: to help identify those with the skills and desires that will create great leadership in our world. Through the hard work of those willing to step forward and learn to lead, opportunities of chance can become environments of personal knowledge and professional growth. Unintentional leaders can be shown how to refine and fine- tune their abilities by those already leading, can learn by example, and can continue the process begun by those who helped them find and accept the opportunities that brought them to leadership.
Chrissie Anderson Peters is a Fall 2002 graduate of the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee, a program that she participated in as a distance education student. A member of the Tennessee Library Association, the Virginia Library Association, ALSC, NMRT, and YALSA, she is a Librarian for Northeast State Community College in Blountville, TN. Her passions include writing, music, reading, traveling, her "children" (the feline kind - Mel, Reid, Xander, Willow, Ella, Cleopatra, Lance, and Mariel), and spending as much time as possible with her husband Russell, who makes her life a joy each day. Contact Chrissie at capeters@NortheastState.edu.