As leaders in mid-career, emerging sages reflect on their leadership styles when they were in their 20s and 30s. They talk about how being opinionated and quick to action during these early years has led them to a place of greater humility; they listen carefully to other people and ensure that everyone has had an opportunity to speak their piece. Emerging sages also believed they were indispensable to the cause when they were younger: “I’m the one who has the vision, and I can achieve it myself.” “I must have all the answers, because everyone is looking to me for leadership.”
As they grow older emerging sages realize they have to be more oriented to “the big picture,” that the cause is larger than themselves, and that others are needed to shape and implement the organization’s vision. Rather than feeling required to have all of the answers, or feeling threatened because they don’t have them, emerging sage leaders are now inclined to gather additional information and rely more on those possessing needed expertise to solve problems. This has to do with their having become more inclusive over the years: “I could easily become a run-away train leaving everyone behind, but I’ve learned to be more patient, to get buy-in and bring people along.” “I can still be assertive, but can now show more compassion. I allow more space for diversity of perspective and for alternative opinions to come forward in identifying solutions to organizational issues.”
For many emerging sages, a key shift is the role that humility now plays in their leadership. They identify ways in which they are able to step outside themselves, and they talk about not taking everything as a personal victory or defeat: “Early in my career, I used to take things personally. If they rejected my idea or suggestion, I assumed I wasn’t smart enough or creative enough. I soon learned that the sharing of ideas is what is really important.” Earlier in their lives emerging leaders also found that not everything comes out the way they thought it would, and they blamed themselves for being ineffective or not being knowledgeable about the way in which the world operates. And they came to realize that not everything can be under their control: “I can influence some things, but not everything!”
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