Cliches — like “practice makes perfect” — often carry unique meaning given a little context. Although perfection may be forever unattainable and subjective, we can only come closer to the clarity, consistency and intention often associated with it through constant practice. When it comes to developing a leadership persona — the uniqueness of which carries a world of context for each individual, team and workplace — practice makes perfect is just the beginning. Although it may be impossible to understand everything about another leader’s unique circumstances, a few cliches seem to stand out as maxims worthy of more context.
What is a leadership persona, and in what forms can it be practiced? While the word persona stems from Latin for “mask,” in leadership, a persona isn’t about concealment — it’s about revelation. Without knowing it, we’re all practicing our personas all the time. We practice when we’re among a group of, or in a one-on-one, with our teammates. We even practice when we’re alone. The same inner voice, conscience, directing mind or instinct allowing us to make better decisions in the moment with our teammates can also allow us to reflect or introspect on times past to better prepare for the future: to continue practicing. These decisions can, within the right external and internal environment, in turn be considered and critiqued by oneself, thus creating a cycle of renewal or evolution of our leadership persona.
It can be beneficial to work together through this process of evolution. By working through these cycles of positive change together, we may face both ourselves and those immediately around us with an open mind and open arms. How you see yourself and how others see you will never be perfectly aligned. But, when this perception gap becomes too wide, it may be necessary to make efforts to narrow the gap. This may be especially true among those in your immediate surroundings: the leadership team.
Birds of a feather flock together: Have you ever noticed how people tend to associate? Human nature can gravitate toward commonalities: similar values, attitudes, cultures or motivations may attract one another. Apart from ensuring the product or services remain at a certain standard, leaders are also responsible for ensuring that the values, attitudes, cultures or motivations producing those products or services remain at a certain standard.
Individual and collective freedom is important to practice and evolve our leadership persona within a team, especially those teams with a more elaborate organizational structure (e.g., assistant superintendents, second assistant superintendents, interns, etc.).
Much may be learned within an environment of conflict, but usually not until after the fact. And, the product and services during these times of conflict — in our case, the golf course — may not meet the standard. Something might be missing. Therefore, having the right people on the leadership team is critical. Who are the right people? That’s for you to decide. But if we’re not sure about people on our team, particularly if we can’t trust their culture fit and overall values and motivations, it may negatively affect the clarity, consistency and intention of the leadership team’s persona collectively.
The longest journey is inward: Like the human instinct to “flock together,” there also seems to be a commonality to follow within. The effectiveness of an individual’s internal practice, how they reflect and introspect, may be affected by their overall attitude and perception of themselves. Maintaining a genuinely positive and hopeful perception of oneself can be an endless journey that takes continuous practice. Staying humble and always willing to learn also requires continuous work within these introspective evolutions.
When we’re able to maintain this virtuous cycle within, where there can be an association and perpetuation of positive growth, our outward leadership persona may come across more effectively and genuinely. Those around us may in turn feel the same genuinely positive and hopeful energy within and choose to continue their own internal journey to become better leaders themselves.
Teamwork makes the dream work: Perfection might just be the stuff of dreams, but it’s always closer to reality than we think.
As naturally social creatures, working in cooperation with one another is in our nature. It’s also in our nature to be in conflict. Understood next to our similar internal dynamics, we can maintain a balanced view of ourselves and those around us.
Despite its Latin roots, a leadership persona is about taking the mask off. Revealed to ourselves and our teams, the clarity, consistency and intention we practice may allow us to continue pursuing our own versions of perfection.
Mark Wiebe, formerly assistant superintendent at Oakdale Golf & Country Club in Toronto who currently is between positions, is a nine-year member of GCSAA.