Healthcare Leadership
with Dan Nielsen dan@americashealthcareleaders.com
It is always a pleasant surprise when I come across something that has resounding implications for leadership. This last week I came across a bit of history that has encouraged a deeper belief in the fact that leadership, and the principles therein, is best expressed and most effective through action.
On his blog called Rebel Heart Leadership, Shaun Coffey quotes an excerpt of a book by M. O. De Pree entitled, “Leadership is an Art.” The following is an excerpt from that book:
“The noted English architect Sir Christopher Wren once built a structure in London. His employers claimed that a certain span Wren planned was too wide, that he would need another row of columns for support. Sir Christopher, after some discussion, acquiesced. He added the row of columns, but he left a space between the unnecessary columns and the beams above. The worthies of London could not see this space from the ground. To this day, the beam has not sagged. The columns still stand firm, supporting nothing but Wren’s conviction. Leadership is much more than an art, a belief, a condition of heart, than a set of things to do. The visible signs of artful leadership are expressed, ultimately, in its practice.”
Go ahead and read through the above text again and let the implications sink in. True leadership is more than teaching or instructing. Your distinct leadership style should embody your values, and those you have the privilege to lead should follow you toward the ultimate success of the team as you lead in a manner true to yourself.
The architect in this excerpt knew without a doubt his design was solid and proved that by leaving a space in between the support beams and the ceiling. The pillars, while pleasing the doubters, were a pointless addition.
Do you share the same confidence in your leadership as this architect had in his design? How has your leadership been tested lately? Many of the leaders I have had the privilege to interview through America’s Healthcare Leaders have an unwavering belief in what they are doing and make their decisions accordingly.
I encourage you to learn a valuable lesson from Sir Christopher Wren: “The visible signs of artful leadership are expressed, ultimately, in its practice.”
Copyright © 2016 by Dan Nielsen – www.americashealthcareleaders.com
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