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Erik's abridged organizational leadership philosophy

To be an exceptional and life-giving leader, the leader must first and foremost wholeheartedly seek and internalize personal self-awareness. Because of this, one of the leader's greatest obligations, as Henry Nowen insists, is to continually, courageously, confront and unmask any personal self-deceptions. As self-deceptions are eradicated, authenticity is cultivated. As authenticity is cultivated, a person becomes increasingly transformed. In leading a community, objectives can be achieved without the leader exhibiting genuine authenticity because of followers’ extrinsic motivations and submission to power. However, attaining the greatest and purest transcendent leadership in total, the leader must also be unequivocally motivated to aid others in pursuing their own personal growth toward transformation. Unfortunately, if leaders do not commit to personal transformation first and foremost, they are not enabled or empowered to pursue this necessary, genuine investment in others.

When a leader is committed to transformation through self-awareness, those they lead are enabled to strive for the same, and there begins the foundation for the development of a healthy community. Unmasking personal self-deceptions is commendable and necessary, but in the end, a healthy and thriving community can only exist to its fullest potential and highest degree when personal transformation culminates in a natural propensity to serve others before serving self. This paradigm must start with, and be championed by the leader. Serving personal selfish desires first can lead to the oppression of others whether intentional or unintentional; for leaders especially, it can become a realm that is easy to exist in and propagate due to the ability to hold authority, control governance, and exert power. However, a leader must realize that considering the needs of others before selfish desires actually provides sustained authority and greater opportunities to lead because authority and leadership are conferred upon them rather than coerced by them. Once a leader acknowledges this, and works to submit to this perspective, the members of the community not only see, but personally benefit from the leader's actions and are encouraged to act the same toward one another. Thus, the cycle of servant-hood, nourishment, and life-enrichment is enabled; a legacy of transformation is set in motion for the benefit of future generations.

As a leader, committing to the practices of self-awareness and servant-hood requires great discipline. Developing and honoring one’s own “voice” takes discipline as well. I agree with Kouzes and Posner that finding true personal voice is absolutely critical to becoming an authentic leader. If one cannot find their true voice, they will end up with a vocabulary that belongs to someone else. As a leader, in taking the path of the higher road, or Frost’s “road less traveled,” the leader creates their own authentic, unique, perspectives that allow them to enrich others through the succinct communication of the dreams and passions they recognize make up, motivate, and sustain the very core of their own being. Unfortunately, if the leader contaminates servant-hood and their true voice by continually changing that voice for different audiences and situations, they will be in danger of diminishing their influence and the ability to properly utilize their God given talents to maximize their capabilities for the greatest good of society. Furthermore, the community’s ability and willingness to trust the leader will suffer, and may even suffer irreparable harm culminating in a downward spiral of continuing dysfunction. However, if the leader embodies their true “voice” fortified with integrity, courageous communication, and the continual edification of trust with those who follow them, effective leadership and the leader’s ability to drive the community toward collective transcendence can be set in motion.

Margaret Wheatley perceptively emphasizes that seeking balance is in many cases, seeking entropy, which leads to equilibrium, and then ultimately to death. If this is the case, movement seems paramount. A community in motion, like a raging river, is comprised of many components and influenced by many forces—strong currents, depths, shallows, rapids, debris, etc.; movement, if engorged by a gluttony of negative realities, can unleash far-reaching destructive consequences. Great leaders inspire and initiate the orchestration of the collective movement of the organization or community (away from negative realities and any embedded dysfunctional paradigms, actions, and environments) toward the transformational growth necessary to maximize transcendent existence, function, influence, and sustainability.

The concept of leading is a concept wrapped in many truths, ideals, and understandings. Leading carries many responsibilities. The exceptional leader must constantly pursue: self-awareness, personal growth and transformation, an intimate knowledge of how they have been uniquely created, their authentic and specifically true voice, transcendent paradigms, and the willingness to continually aid others and communities in these pursuits for sustained cycles of generational transformation. This is a lifestyle leaders must be willing to embody day-by-day in the knowledge that leading is a state of being and they cannot create their own "island" unto and for themselves if they truly want to change the world for the greatest possible good.

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The lifeblood of an effective leader is to have an effective leadership coach. In my case Erik Crew has been that lifeblood. Our coaching relationship and its results have been the highlight of my career launching me to new levels of awareness and an appreciation for true leadership.