You can read a lot on the topic of leadership. There are so many choices; books, magazines podcasts and the lists just go on. There’s an unspoken sentiment that underlies much of what you can consume regarding leadership: don’t isolate leadership as a position or title. Start acting on your leadership abilities right now. You see, you already are a leader. You always were and likely always will be. Leadership exists, in some capacity, in everything we do in life, both professionally and individually. The question is not do you want to be a leader, the question is how are you already leading? Are you leading from seat 1A or from seat 52E? It’s a reference to the choices of seats you have when flying a commercial airline. Seat 1A is a first class seat at the front of the plane. The seat lies flat so you can sleep, there’s a window and nobody next to you so you can easily access the isle. It’s got everything you need to be as comfortable as you can at 40,000 feet. Seat 52E has none of that. You’re in the middle section of the plane. There’s people on both sides of you, you have no aisle access, your seat doesn’t recline and you’re all the way at the back. You can hear the noise from the galley and all the opening and closing of the lavatory doors. You can see everything happening in front of you. The analogy is not meant to be a cheap shot at people who fly in first class. It’s supposed to illustrate the qualities of effective leadership. In seat 1A you can be isolated from all that is going on around you. Nobody really knows that you’re a part of the flight at all with the exception of a few individuals. On the opposite end, in seat 52E you likely boarded last, everyone on the plane had a chance to see you and you them as you walked to your seat. In flight, you can see everything in front of you. You know everything that is going on because you can see it and hear it. You’ve got people on both sides of you, often a great chance to strike up a conversation and get to know some really cool people. We often look at leadership the way we view seats on an airplane. Most of us are stuck in coach, looking toward first class and think about how nice it would be to be there, if only a chance would come our way. We want to lead but we feel like the opportunity never comes our way. Each day in life is like a flight, you take off, you journey to a destination and then you land. The truth is, the ride in seat 52E might be the best way to bring out our own leadership abilities and opportunities. Thoughts, reflections, challenges? I'd love to hear what you think. Just comment below.
1 Comment
Becky Nicholas
7/26/2017 01:00:31 am
I really enjoyed this blog entry. For me, I see seat 52E as an opportunity to be amongst the very people I'm working with and helping them to seek and find leadership opportunities. They know you're "one of them". In seat 1A you don't see the people behind you and get to know them. When my turn comes around, I'll be in seat 52E...never been in first class anyway :)
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AuthorJeff Lahey Archives
January 2020
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