defining your calling

Last winter I read Leading With A Limp by Dan Allender. Strong. In chapter 10 he asks the question: What words best describe a leader? He says the list you create will shape both what you do and what you will become. Here is a list of words mentioned by leaders when they were asked, "What is the single best word to describe you as leader.": hero, sage, seer, hearer, mouthpiece, fund-raiser, coach, catalyst, optimist, truth-teller, surgeon, consultant, midwife, shepherd, visionary, CEO, general, parent, friend

He thought the list was fine...but he says none of the leaders offered the words he hopes we will consider:

• broken


• foolish
  
• reluctant


• hungry
  
• disillusioned

He points out that the words in the first list are all nouns--solid and understandable. The words he asks us to consider are adjectives--fluid and foreign.

He says a leader might be a fund-raiser or a field general, but what type of leader is she? Is she foolish, broken, reluctant? Nouns describe objective roles, parts to play, scripts to follow. Adjectives are more amorphous and qualitative, describing how we put our unique mark on an unexpected role. He says that both nouns and adjectives are necessary.

His point? We need to consider not only what is expected of us as leaders but also how we lead.