Monday, July 29, 2013

Leaders Who Last

Here's the truth: Only a few people in each generation become long-term leaders in their field of expertise. Only a small percentage of politicians rise to the top. Only a few truly select writers can sell millions of books, book after book. Only a few ministry leaders are still relevant in their sixties.

Most leaders flame out like fireworks. We don't want this to happen to you. We want today's leaders to be seeking advice from YOU tomorrow.

So what's the secret to longevity in leadership?

Remember when you were in your twenties, how you thought you needed to conquer the world RIGHT NOW?

It's true, the twenties are the launching pad of life. We have more energy and fuel in our twenties than we'll have moving forward. And that energy is important. Our twenties are when we train for our careers as professionals and as leaders of families.

But when we're in our twenties, we often make the same mistake: We set short-term goals of becoming successful in the moment. And those goals often backfire. The truth is when we are in our twenties we don't know enough to lead with wisdom. And successes tend to go to our heads if we haven't experienced enough failure. This is one of the reasons that influencers who rise in their twenties tend to decline. They had all the energy to become successful but none of the wisdom to manage that success.

The trick is to start to succeed A LITTLE in our twenties but A LOT later.

Here's what we at Storyline recommend: Plan on peaking at 65.

Seriously, when you imagine the most successful stage of your life, imagine it when you're 65, right before the age when you're supposed to retire.

If you plan on peaking at 65, you'll start rising above your peers somewhere in your thirties and continue that slight incline through your coaching and wisdom years. If you do this, you'll be a sought after expert in your given field when you enter into your sixties, and likely well before. All your competition will be reeling in their past glory.

If you try to become the "it" writer, speaker, leader of the moment, you might be guilty of trying to become a fashionable leader. Don't fall for it. If you become the fashionable leader of the moment, you'll be gone as fast as bell bottoms. The same people who praise you today will be distancing themselves tomorrow.

Instead, become the next Bob Woodward, Margaret Thatcher, Howard Zinn, Steven King, N.T. Wright, Warren Buffet or Mother Theresa.

Peaking at 65 means you don't chase fashion trends or assess your personal worth by Twitter followers or how many people have read your latest book. Peaking at 65 means doing excellent work over the long haul.

Here are 4 (of many) ways to peak when you're older: 
  1. Speak the Truth: This means losing the battle over owning the moment. The moment is rarely owned by truth. The moment is often owned by sensationalism, shock-jock comments and emotionalism. Become that trusted source people come to year after year. be concrete, not sand. 
  2. Produce something of Quality with Consistency: Production means working, actively creating something. Quality means taking your time and getting it right. Consistency means starting the next project the minute the last one is complete.
  3. Find Your Niche: Are you a filmmaker, songwriter, an expert on global markets, a magician? Whatever it is, stick with it for the long haul. Get ten feet deep into a field rather than scattered across the top of the landscape. Know a lot about something. You are going to have to stay with something for a long time in order to peak when you're 65.
  4. Make Long Term Plans: We love setting goals at Storyline, but what we're really about is understanding the big picture. It's great to make short-term goals, but short term goals without an epic narrative context means you'll be chasing your tail. Who do you want to be when you're 65? And does the to-do list you're working on today take you in that direction? This should be a daily question and answer you have with yourself.
Peaking when you're 65 means you don't have to panicked about minor setbacks today. Sure, your friends may have a better Facebook profile picture, or have a bigger project launch, but that's not the course you're on. You're thinking long term. You're thinking about a quality launch of product after product for the next 40 years.

You are becoming tomorrows leader, not todays leader. And if you're already todays leader, start focusing on tomorrow because today is almost done. Either way, there's no downside to long-term vision.

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