The "X" Games of Leadership: The Freestyle Competition is Being Held in Benton Harbor, Michigan...Everyday!
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
Lao Tzu, Chinese Philosopher, 600≈ BC
Alright sissies, listen up! You read and read about Ten Ways to Develop Yourself 
as a Leader, Eight Sure Fire Ways to Get People to Follow Your Lead, Five Things to Think About Before You Start Your leadership Career, etc. etc. There are any number of articles and books you have on your shelves telling you what a leader DOES and you think maybe if you buy just this one more, especially since it is by Tom Peters, and read it thoroughly, maybe you will finally BE a leader*. The critical factor most of us forget while trying to figure out what to DO, if we ever even realized it before, is that we are playing a game set up by someone else and the odds are stacked in favor of certain outcomes even before we accept the position.
*Alan Keith, as quoted by Kouzes and Posner in 'The Leadership Challenge' stated that, "Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen."
With these words of Alan Keith’s in mind maybe it is legitimate to ask if you are a leader at all or perhaps someone holding a management position being referred to as a leader. There is nothing lacking in being a manager but leadership is a different game. To check this out answer yourself this question: When was the last time people caused something extraordinary to happen on your watch?
If you are working in any formalized organizational structure there are any number of natural leadership challenges that are handled by the system in which your position is embedded before you ever assume your role inside a management hierarchy. To learn about authentic leadership you might want to watch some of the experienced folks in your organization who operate effectively without title or authority.
Better yet, if you want to see an example of leadership that is caused rather than assumed, I’ll call it “Freestyle Leadership”, take a trip to Benton Harbor, Michigan** and visit the offices of the Harbor Shores Transformational Center at 88 West Main Street in the heart of downtown. (Watch some of the videos)
( **Policom Corporation unveiled its 2010 rankings of the economic strength of the top 366 Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the US in late spring. Benton Harbor made the list at #347. Things could be worse!)
Before you arrive at the offices of The Consortium for Community Development which houses the Harbor Shores Transformation Center you may want to call ahead if you’d like to meet the President, Marcus Robinson. The day I visited, late on a Friday afternoon, Marcus had been expecting me and when I arrived he was on the phone. We are old friends so when he held up five fingers I knew he meant he’d be with me in about five minutes. An hour later I had walked across the street for coffee and given myself a brief walking tour of the downtown area and he was still hard at the conversation. When he finally did emerge from behind his phone he said that he’d been involved with matters related to the Benton Harbor school system. I asked how his role as a Community Developer called for his involvement with schools. His response really didn’t surprise me and it goes to the heart of what I mean when I coin the phrase “Freestyle Leadership.” He said that in a town like Benton Harbor, if you demonstrate that you are someone who can get things to happen you become a ‘go to’ guy.
Clearly the record of accomplishment that Marcus has become associated with since arriving in Benton Harbor in late 2004 has established him in the eyes of many in the local area as a 'go to' guy. Marcus will be the first to admit that many people have contributed to the achievements realized in Benton Harbor since he was hand picked for his role by the now retired CEO of Whirlpool Corporation, Dave Whitwam. These two first met when they were working together to develop Whirlpool as a much more inclusive culture as it continued to globalize in the early 2000's. In Marcus, Dave recognized someone who was already well developed for a role as catalyst for the reinvention of the Benton Harbor area. He is someone who instinctively works to influence, not convince, and his style is much like that described in the earlier opening words from Lao Tzu, he works in the background.
I asked him how he likes to be referred to in the role he plays in Benton Harbor. He said, " It works best for me if people refer to me as Marcus, anything else and I find myself getting painted into a corner and limited in terms of what I can engage with."
No authority, no rules, no limits and no guarantees. Operating from vision and responsibility with an understanding that unless people end up with a sense of what they have done for themselves the real job has not gotten done. I think at some point Lao Tzu, Alan Keith and Marcus Robinson would enjoy having a cup of tea together.
- Where can you free yourself of the shackles of the institution and unleash the human spirit around you?
