Not the hero

 

In the well-known book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins, the author makes reference to what he calls "Level 5 leadership", as an essential ingredient to long-term, next-level corporate success. Among other things, "Level 5" leaders are characterised by this: they internalise and take accountability when things go wrong, and they externalise and give credit to extrinsic factors and people when they encounter success.

This seems contrary to a lot of advice that people get these days. Do good work, but make your work visible. Take credit, build your brand. The culture of the "hero CEO" is ever more in vogue, building on the legacy of Jack Welch in the 80s and 90s, Steve Jobs in the 2000s, and the likes of Elon Musk and Jensen Huang today.

I don't disagree that creating visibility for one's work is helpful. But the underlying attitude and purpose matters. I once worked for someone who spent what seemed like endless amounts of time creating slide decks and dashboards to showcase work to senior management. As a relatively young manager at the time, I used to roll my eyes internally whenever I was asked to compile yet another slide deck trumpeting our achievements. It all seemed performative, rather than substantive.

But I missed something of substance behind the seeming masquerade. At each budget exercise, I noticed that this person was significantly more successful at directing corporate resources to the team, and this equipped the team to do its substantive work even more effectively. I like to think that this was that person's intent from the outset - not self-promotion for its own sake, but advancing the team's cause. This, then, is a positive use case for creating visibility.

But I suspect that most people aren't quite applying the lesson on creating visibility in this more altruistic, less self-centred way. It's why LinkedIn is absolutely chock-full of people who are "humbled" to have achieved this or that, and hey if I'm honest, I've done the same, even if I haven't used those exact words. So to combat this, as long as I'm running my team, our motto will always be "To Make Others Succeed". We may not live up to it all the time, but gosh darn it, we're gonna try.

Outside of work, I I think I've learned this lesson a little more effectively (I hope). My friends and I have been supporting a school for underprivileged kids in a neighbouring country for several years. The school serves a number of villages, and it's fair to say that the poverty is grinding. The principal is a bundle of energy who's selflessly given her life to serve the villagers, and we have been privileged to work alongside her to build the school premises, develop curricula and build relationships with the teachers, parents and students.

Over the years, we've gotten to the point where my friends and I send a team there every month, sometimes twice a month. I regularly conduct briefings for new volunteers before we go, and one of the most important things I tell them is this.

You're not the hero. Not even "a" hero.

It may feel heroic to go over there. It may feel heroic to slog in the heat and the dust. It may feel heroic to bring finances, resources and know-how.

But we're not the heroes.

Who are the heroes? The principal and the teachers are the heroes. They were there before our team set foot on the ground. They'll be there when we leave. When we're safely tucked into our beds, when we're tapping away at our screens, they'll still be there, working, serving, solving.

All we are, at best, are helpers. Servants, to the actual people who are making a difference on a daily basis.

And so, all success at the school is due to them, not us. We merely have the privilege of running alongside them, handing them water to refresh them, cheering them on, and witnessing their success.

As for mistakes? Oh, there have been plenty - all ours. Setting up a computer lab, only to find out there's insufficient power to turn them all on (laptops, and the A/C!) at the same time. Bringing English books way beyond the students' ability to read and use. Gifting toys that need batteries. "Generously" giving away goodies to people along the way, and inadvertently causing jealousy and envy for the principal and teachers to deal with after we happily head home, patting ourselves on the back!

But when we stop thinking of ourselves as the hero, we are MUCH more effective. Because we're not the main character, we are much more likely to think about what THEY need, not what WE can do, EVEN WHEN IT'S NOT FUN.

I like to think that this is the beginning of Level 5 leadership - deep personal humility, coupled with a resolute determination to do the needful for the enterprise, and not merely what feels cool/interesting for us.

One final observation.

Johann Sebastian Bach, widely acclaimed as one of the greatest composers in history, was well known for writing the initials J.J. and S.D.G. at the beginning and end of each of his compositions. This wasn't mere adherence to cultural convention - it was a particular, personal and persistent habit for Bach. What did they stand for?

J.J. stands for Jesu, Jova! Which means "Help! Jesus!" At the start of each composition, Bach said to himself, with incredible humility, I can't do it. I'm not the hero. I need help.

S.D.G. stands for Soli Dei Gloria! Which means "To God alone be the glory". At the end of each composition, Bach said to himself, again with deep humility, it wasn't me. I'm not the hero. I wrote it, but He did it.

I remember my very first case in court, right at the start of my career. I got there early, nervous as heck, took out my Bible and read this from Psalm 37:5-6 "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun". In other words: "Jesu, Jova! Help! Jesus!" :) I won that day. And I really have been tremendously helped ever since.

There are many roads yet to be travelled. But if, at the end of my life, I can with genuine humility bookend it all with "Soli Dei Gloria! To God alone be the glory!" then it'll have been an awesome, awesome, absolutely awesome ride!