Philosophical Observations on Leadership

Erwin Cuellar is an astute observer of life, happily married and ambitious about making our society wiser. He writes about life philosophy and self-development on his blog, Nehlo. Erwin has also worked in the financial industry and has a bachelors degree from 
UT Austin.

The only thing that matters about leadership is how you live it. Reading my views on leadership won’t make you a better leader unless you incorporate these thoughts into your own actions. Here are my views, derived from observing my own life experiences.

Don't make leadership about your ego. It seems that discussions about leadership center around being the ‘powerful’ leader and never about being the ‘lesser’ follower. The truth is we will all lead and follow throughout our lives. In both cases we must accept our position and remember to help the other person be the best they can be, whether they are the leader or the follower. The leader is not better than the follower and vice versa, for one cannot exist without the other.

As an example, I've grown to trust and accept that my wife is better than me at certain things. She organizes our social gatherings and plans our dinners and I gladly follow and go along for the ride. Likewise, she fully entrusts me with our finances and dates. I lead and guide her but also follow and support her. Don't be so proud that you can't yield leadership and be wise enough to know when to do so. 

Be your own leader. Remember that you know your own personality, passions, pet peeves and emotions best so it is you who has the ultimate decision in any situation. Only you who can lead yourself best in life. When I was climbing the corporate ladder I knew there was a disconnect between where I was working and what I was passionate about. Society told me that I should stay at my job but I had to trust myself and make the final decision to quit. Sometimes the most important person you'll be leading is yourself.

Just because you are leading, does not mean you are going in the right direction. We've all had those leaders that are so hard-headed that they don't see their own mistakes; politicians and bosses are the first to come to my mind. To prevent this you must always maintain an open dialogue with your followers. Be humble enough to request feedback from your followers, yet caring and assertive enough to give it back effectively. 

Good leaders know when to look within themselves and when to follow external resources for help with their leadership. Be honest with your abilities and always work on strengthening your external traits (task-knowledge, relationships) and your internal traits (mental fortitude, compassion, humility). I wish you the best in your pursuit of growth. 

Check out Erwin's blog here! 

Today's post is the twelfth and final post of the SOS Leadership Men Who Lead Blog Series. The purpose of this blog series was to share the stories and insights of men who are answering the call to leadership in their lives.