There's a difference between leading from a place of service, and leading from a place of ego. Sometimes, the right thing to do is to let go of power
I'm sometimes hesitant to talk about working with 'leaders - even to describe myself as a 'leadership coach' - because so many of my clients feel a little uncomfortable identifying with the term
I think that's because, for so long, leadership has been imagined as the person with the most strident voice, and the most simple solutions. The one who tells others what to do
But there's a big difference between wanting to stand at the head of the crowd, and wanting to serve
This is an article about that difference, hastily rewritten after last night's news about Joe Biden
Unless you've been living under a stone for the past few months, it won't have escaped your notice that there has been a lot going on in politics
In fact, 2024 has been one of the most notable years in history for the democratic process, with something like 97 countries - nearly half of the world's population - going to the ballot box at some point this year.
A lot could change
A lot is changing
As I watched the ongoing circus that is the US elections, and the sight of two doddery old white guys fighting for power like the world's least dignified wrestling match, I was reminded of the leaders who have stepped down over the past few years
Whether their reasons were about wanting a better quality of life away from politics, or just running out of oomph, the likes of Jacinda Ardern and Angela Merkel proved that a leader could let go of their position with grace, instead of desperately clinging on by their fingernails
A recognition that they were no longer the best person for the job. That the mission of making their country a better place for its citizens was so much bigger than their own ambitions
That it wasn't about them
This is the difference between leading from a place of service, and leading from a place of ego
A difference that is illustrated most starkly by the likes of Vladimir Putin, Boris Johnson, Vaughan Gething, Donald Trump, and - until last night at least - Joe Biden
I'm anything but a fan of Trump, but let's focus on Biden for now, and why I think he was being led by his ego, instead of a desire to serve
Biden has a long political career, and a long-held ambition to be the President. From what I understand, with my limited knowledge of US politics, he's been a pretty effective one at that. But my opinion of his continuing in the Presidential race shifted when I heard about an interview he gave with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News in early July
When asked about how he would feel in January if Trump won a second term, he responded along the lines that he would know he would have given it his all and done the best job he could do, and that "that's what this is about."
No, Joe, it's not
Because it's not about you
This is not the egg and spoon race at the school sports day. It's not about the taking part. Not when you're in the running to lead the most powerful democracy in the world
It's about the lives of 335+ million people. Wanting to make those lives better. It's not about being in service to your ambitions as leader, it's about being in service to them
I don't say this because I'm a Donald Trump fan. Anything but. Perhaps, after Biden's 50-something years in politics, I just expected better. Whatever the influences on his decision (and I'll bet there was a whole lot of external pressure brought to bear), handing on the baton definitely seems like the right decision
Because leadership based on ego is what has brought the world to the state it's in right now
Widening inequality, rampant capitalism, climate crisis, perpetual war...
Leadership isn't an end, it’s a process. It’s not about clinging on to power, it's about reaching towards a shared destination. It’s about recognising the right people for the job, and handing them the reigns
Imagine how different everything could be, if that's the way the world was run