“I always wanted to be somebody,
but I should have been more specific.” –Lily Tomlin
Today, we can draw some insightful leadership lessons from an unlikely source in Lily Tomlin. Her pithy quote certainly resonates to each of our personal ambitions, as it is dangerously easy to get sucked into the milestones of life without clearly defining where those milestones will lead…or the type of person we will become along the path.
Similarly, new Privates and Lieutenants step into active duty as proverbial blank slates, ready to combine real-world experience with the second-hand, academic, and imagined impressions they have of military service. Most have goals in mind, some vision of what “success” looks like for their time in service. Some want to be generals…some prioritize getting a college education…others are just happy to have survived Basic Training.
But how many service members, these future leaders, take their vision beyond a rank or position and specify the type of leader they want to be? Then, how many people outline how to develop those skills throughout their career to reach that endstate?
Like a Stick in a River
“I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific.” There’s a feeling of regret that underlies the humor of this quote. It’s a realization that without intentionality, life will direct our personal growth along paths of least resistance to arrive at a place that falls short of our potential. The same goes for professional and leader development.
The good news is that you have control over this process:
- You choose when to start defining the leader you will become
- You filter who you will surround yourself with to shape your development as a leader (friends, peers, mentors)
- You choose what inputs will define your growth (books, classes, movies, etc.)
- You direct the quality of your thoughts, which shape your outlook and attitudes
- You commit to the habits that will shape who you become
- You control your response to the world when it doesn’t conform to your ambitions
If the default “somebody” isn’t good enough for you, you must take action:
- Read and study leaders that resonate with you
- Ask mentors how they grew into their leader personas
- Take notes about the leadership qualities you want to develop, as well as those you want to avoid
- Identify the attitudes and behaviors that will define you as a leader. Will you be impulsive or deliberate? Energetic or stoic? Demonstrative or subtle? Articulate and refined…or simple and relatable?
- Ask your peers, family, friends, bosses, and subordinates to help keep you on track
Make sure your quote ends up being: “I always wanted to be somebody…and this is who it is.”
Questions for Leaders
- Do you avoid setting high performance standards for your development because you are afraid of not meeting them?
- What time/energy commitment would it take for you to envision the type of leader you want to become?
- Are you enabling or hindering your subordinates in fulfilling their own visions?
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