Many of my employees became leaders and spoke as leaders to me. Our field of relationships was as flat as we could make it. And I believe our boss-to-employee relationship was as equals. Is there any other way? This made our inner circles exceptional, and power shifted easily from one to another depending on the issue and problem we were dealing with.
I have used my baseball cap as a leadership symbol. The one at the table who could handle an issue wore the hat as a symbol of leadership, and the rest of us were what they needed us to be, including me. The point was obvious. Instead of me as the decision maker, events dictated where leadership would come from.
But fundamentally, I was still the creator and builder of the business, and they were employees. That level of hierarchy was always there. This point is what I have been coming to since my first essay on this subject. Although I was the prime leader, my employees were leaders in their jobs who led others and were, in many respects, more capable than I was. Beyond their capabilities, most handled power wisely and worked well with others. Looking back, believe I was their “role model,” although, at the time, I was unaware of that. Today I realize I was a leader of leaders.
I was blessed to work with exceptional people and contributed to what they did and became. However, a question that has been on my mind for some time is why, when I left any of my creations, did they disappear?
Sy
