SECTION II CHALLENGE 5

Challenge #5

THE FULFILLMENT CHALLENGE:
Leaders Like the Front More Than the Middle

THE KEY TO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATING THE FULFILLMENT CHALLENGE:
Leadership is more disposition than position—influence others from wherever you are.

Since you are reading this book, I assume that you either possess a natural leadership bent or have developed a desire to lead others. If that is true, then you probably want to be leading from “out front” or “on the top.” Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying about the view from the middle of the pack. It’s said that when you’re the lead dog, your view always changes. If you’re not the lead dog, your view always stays the same—and that view is not exactly what one would call “scenic.” I enjoy that joke, and I’ve told it in conferences. But the truth of the matter is that the dog in front of the pack isn’t the leader. The person driving the sled is—and that individual is actually in the back.
Wherever people find themselves in life, they usually possess the natural desire to move up. They want greater recognition. They want to make more money. They want to live in a better home. They want to advance and improve. Leaders are no different. They want to move up rather than stay put. They want to make a greater impact. They want to be at the front of a pack or the top of an organization, especially early in their lives and careers. But is being out front really all that it’s cracked up to be? I think the answer is yes and no.
WHY LEADERS LIKE THE FRONT
There are advantages to being in front or on top of an organization. But the same things that can benefit leaders can also make leadership difficult. It is almost always a double-edged sword, and anyone who sees only the positives without recognizing the negatives is either naive or inexperienced. I think you will agree with my perspective as you read these observations about why leaders like to be out front.
1. THE FRONT IS THE MOST RECOGNIZED POSITION FOR A LEADER
Romanian essayist E. M. Cioran stated, “If each of us were to confess his most secret desire, the one that inspires all his plans, all his actions, he would say, ‘I want to be praised.’” Isn’t that true? Everyone enjoys praise and recognition. And since leaders, who are usually most visible, often receive the credit when a job is well done, many people desire to become leaders.
“If each of us were to confess his most secret desire, the one that inspires all his plans, all his actions, he would say, ‘I want to be praised.’”
—E. M. CIORAN

Recognition is a double-edged sword. When things go wrong, the person recognized as responsible is also the leader. When the football team has a losing season, the quarterback gets the blame. When the baseball team keeps losing games, the manager gets fired. When the big account doesn’t sign on with the company, the person who led the effort is held responsible. Yes, being in front can be good for your ego, but it can also cost you your job.
2. THE VIEW IS BETTER FROM THE FRONT
I once saw an interview that a newscaster conducted with an accomplished mountain climber. The journalist asked, “Why do you climb mountains? What is it that causes you to go through all the preparation, the training, the risk, and the pain?”
The mountain climber looked at the newsman and said, “It’s obvious that you’ve never been to the top of a mountain.” Isn’t it true that the view from the top of a mountain is incredible? It’s thrilling. The perspective is incredible. It must be even more exciting if it’s a peak that can only be reached by climbing.
Tom Mullins, the former football coach I mentioned earlier who now leads a large organization in Palm Beach, Florida, said, “It’s often hard to read the scoreboard from the middle of the pack. It’s much easier to see it when you’re at the top of the organization.” There is a perspective one has from the front (or top) of an organization that cannot be had from anywhere else. But I believe responsibility comes with that perspective. If you see problems that threaten to derail the organization, harm employees, or cheat customers, you have a responsibility to try to resolve them—no matter how messy, costly, or difficult it is. Leaders at the front don’t have the freedom to neglect what their position allows them to see.
Leaders at the front don’t have the freedom to neglect what their position allows them to see.

3. LEADERS IN FRONT GET TO DETERMINE THE DIRECTION
When I first began leading, I thought that the leader in front could control many things in an organization. The longer I lead, the more I discover how little the leader controls. (The only people who have total control in their lives are those who don’t lead anything. They are accountable only to themselves, not others.) Good leaders of organizations get to control mainly two things: direction and timing. Unfortunately, if they aren’t leading well and people aren’t following them, they can’t even control those two things.
4. LEADERS CAN SET THE PACE
Leaders love progress. It’s one of their primary motivations. That’s why explorer David Livingstone said, “I will go anywhere provided it is forward.” As a leader, you probably love moving forward, and the faster the better. But that also can work against you. If you are running so far ahead that your people can’t follow, then your organization won’t succeed. Achievers often cross the finish line first, but leaders rarely do. A leader’s success comes from bringing others across the finish line with them.
In Winning with People, the Patience Principle states that the journey with others is slower than the journey alone. That’s true in every area of life where you are trying to lead. A trip to the grocery store is much faster alone than it is if you have to take your children. A business trip with a group of colleagues is never as fast as one by yourself. (Doesn’t it take thirty minutes just to get everyone to agree on a place to eat?) A single golfer can play a course in nearly half the time it takes a foursome.
As a leader, you may be able to model the behavior you desire in others, but you will not be able to go as quickly as you want. Too many people seem to share the attitude of humorous poet Ogden Nash, who wrote, “Progress might have been all right once, but it’s been going on entirely too long.” The only people who will fight for progress the way you do, and move as quickly, will probably be other leaders.
5. LEADERS ENJOY BEING IN ON THE ACTION
Because leaders like to make things happen, they always enjoy being where the action is. But many times that is not at the top or in front of an organization. Major decisions are made in those places, but often the action really occurs in the middle of an organization. That’s where most of the exciting activity is. Doug Carter, who is vice president of EQUIP—the nonprofit organization I founded to teach leadership overseas—is a great example of a leader who loves the action. Doug could be the number one leader at dozens of first-rate organizations. In fact, he used to lead another outstanding nonprofit organization. But the vision and mission of EQUIP captivated him, and instead of being the top guy, he has chosen to be the number two person at EQUIP. Doug is making an impact internationally from that position. I cannot imagine the team without him.
HOW TO BE FULFILLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PACK: SEE THE BIG PICTURE
Education pioneer Henrietta Mears said, “The person who keeps busy helping the one who is below him won’t have time to envy the person above him.” The right attitude is absolutely essential to contentment in the middle of an organization. Truly, leadership is more disposition than position. With the right attitude and the right skills, you can influence others from wherever you are in an organization.
So how do you develop an attitude of contentment and fulfillment right where you are? Start by doing the following five things:
1. DEVELOP STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH KEY PEOPLE
A Peanuts cartoon by Charles Schulz shows Lucy telling Snoopy, “There are times when you really bug me, but I must admit there are also times when I feel like giving you a big hug.” In reply, Snoopy thinks, That’s the way I am . . . huggable and bug-gable. I think that’s true of just about everybody—including myself. There are good and bad things about everybody. The key to fulfillment isn’t making every interaction with others go smoothly; it comes from developing strong relationships with them.
“The person who keeps busy helping the one who is below him won’t have time to envy the person above him.”
—HENRIETTA MEARS

It’s more important to get along with people than to get ahead of them. If you make it your goal to reach out to others and build relationships with them, you will derive fulfillment wherever you are. And whatever you do, don’t give up too easily on others if you at first don’t like them or easily connect with them. You may be surprised by how, over time, a potential adversary can become an ally.
2. DEFINE A WIN IN TERMS OF TEAMWORK
Legendary basketball coach John Wooden said, “The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.” In other words, teamwork is what creates success, and we shouldn’t lose sight of that. One player may be crucial to a team, but one player cannot make a team. That is also true of leaders. One leader, no matter how good, does not make a team.
When I think of someone who created a win using teamwork and led others from the middle, I think of Bob Christian, former fullback for the Atlanta Falcons. Christian was called “the most complete fullback in football.”1 Dan Reeves, an NFL veteran coach with several Super Bowl rings said of Christian that he was the “best blocker I’ve ever seen.”2 More than once he was named player of the game strictly because of his blocking. Many people have never heard of Christian, even if they are football fans. His stats for runs, catches, and touchdowns may not have set any records, but he was fulfilled—and successful—as a ball player. Anyone who values teamwork and saw Christian play remembers him.
3. ENGAGE IN CONTINUAL COMMUNICATION
One of the frustrations of leaders who aren’t in front or on top is that they are several steps removed from the source of the organization’s vision. And since the vision is constantly being shaped and formed, it’s important to engage in continual communication. If you’re “in” on the vision and continually keeping up-to-date, then you won’t be blindsided by changes or demoralized by being out of the loop.
As a leader in the middle of an organization, being the recipient of communication is important, but equally or more important is communicating up. And that takes great effort because it doesn’t occur naturally. It takes effort and intentionality. As you interact with your leaders, let them know how you are advancing the vision. Get their feedback and ask questions to find out if there are other things you should know to more effectively pass on the vision to others. The more you effectively fulfill your role as a leader in the middle, the more fulfilled you will be.
4. GAIN EXPERIENCE AND MATURITY
In The Autobiography of Harry Golden, the author wrote, “The arrogance of the young is a direct result of not having known enough consequences. The turkey that every day greedily approaches the farmer who tosses him grain is not wrong. It is just that no one ever told him about Thanksgiving.”
Maturity doesn’t come automatically. My friend Ed Cole often said, “Maturity doesn’t come with age. It begins with the acceptance of responsibility.” When you begin looking at your life and work with more experience and a longer view, being in front doesn’t seem as important. Focusing on the responsibilities with which you are entrusted wherever you are and completing them with excellence brings greater fulfillment than the position, title, or prestige one gets from being on top.
The more you effectively fulfill your role as a leader in the middle, the more fulfilled you will be.

With maturity often comes patience. (Patience, however, often gets the credit that belongs to fatigue!) Patience gives you time to learn, network, and gain wisdom. Humorist Arnold Glasow said, “The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg—not smashing it.”
5. PUT THE TEAM ABOVE YOUR PERSONAL SUCCESS
When the stakes are high, good team members put the success of the team ahead of their own personal gains. An excellent example of this can be seen in the actions of two high-profile leaders of the British government during World War II—Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. Two leaders could not have been more different. Churchill was a member of the conservative party, Attlee of the labor party. Churchill was fierce, fiery, and proud; Atlee, quiet and unassuming. Churchill is quoted as saying of Attlee: “He is a modest man with much to be modest about.” Yet the two men served together admirably during the war for the sake of England. When Churchill was made prime minister of England in 1940, he chose Attlee as a member of his war cabinet, eventually naming him deputy prime minister. In fact, Attlee was the only other person besides Churchill to serve in the war cabinet for the entire war.3
One of the keys to England’s winning the war was that both leaders put the country’s best interest above their own political ambitions. The depth of the two men’s differences concerning leadership and government became more obvious after the war in 1945, when the two opposed each other in the election for prime minister, and Churchill was defeated by Attlee.
These two leaders did what they thought was right, both during the war and after it. They put the nation ahead of their personal gain. As a result, the people of Great Britain won. That’s what leadership is really all about—it’s about helping others to win. That’s much more important than where you are in the organizational chart.