Other than my own personal experience, half of what I learned about leadership came from watching cooking shows, particularly cooking competitions. On one such competition, multiple chefs were battling to become the head chef for a renowned restaurateur. At a given point, the restaurateur (who happened to be one of the judges) was asked about the expectations from the winner. The response was a master class in leadership: “I expect honesty, integrity, and soul.”
That is exactly what I demand of myself and of those who, in any capacity, I collaborate with.
Honesty
According to Merriam-Webster, ‘honesty’ could mean:
- As in integrity: devotion to telling the truth.
- As in morality: conduct that conforms to an accepted standard of right and wrong.
- As in honor: faithfulness to high moral standards.
That’s clear enough, isn’t it? Or, like Judge Judy uses to say, “The good thing about telling the truth is that you don’t have to have good memory.” Liars know that, with time, the truth will catch up to them.
Integrity
My preferred definition of ‘integrity’ is to do what is right, even when no one is watching. Are you ever haunted by the dirt you shoved under the rug, the skeletons you hid in your closet, or the documents you threw on the paper shredder? For one, I am, and I don’t like the feeling.
Soul
If you are truthful to yourself and to others, then the next step is to bring that special extra to your people. This is very hard to describe, so I’m giving you a few examples.
- If you like what you do, then how can you make others like it too?
- Are you doing your job because of the money you’re being paid, because it’s what makes you get off the bed in the morning, or because you believe in your mission and your capacity?
- Or all of the above?
- If you’re excited about what you’re doing, does it show?
- But if you’re not excited, then why are you doing it?
My usual way of bringing my soul to work is by having fun. Please don’t get me wrong: I take my work very seriously. Nothing precludes me from having a laugh with my coworkers, though. There were a number of toxic work places I’ve been part of where ‘fun’ was a forbidden word and fun was not accepted; maybe they didn’t like my attitude? Fact is, nobody can say that my work was bad.
Soul is not all about having fun, but also about putting yourself to work. In hindsight, and being honest with myself, some of my past failures were due to not dedicating myself enough.
Fun or no fun, an important part of bringing your soul to work has to do with managing expectations. For example, when someone asks me a question, they expect an answer. I don’t always have all the answers, and occasionally I need to spend time researching. The standard I set for myself dictates that, if I don’t respond by the end of the following business day, it’s because something went terribly wrong. Being busy is a good excuse, but only an excuse. After all, how long does it take to send a short note asking for a little extra time until I’m able to provide a thorough response?
What about the other half?
The other half of what I learned about leadership came from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, particularly chapter 17 (Ursula K. Le Guin’s translation):
True leaders
are hardly known to their followers.
Next after them are the leaders
the people know and admire;
after them, those they fear;
after them, those they despise.
To give no trust
is to get no trust.
When the work’s done right,
with no fuss or boasting,
ordinary people say,
“Oh, we did it.”