I don’t see many leaders. I see individuals running organizations and businesses, chairing committees and boards of directors, but just because they sit in the chair at the head of the table doesn’t make them leaders.
Not only do we need leaders, but we need compassionate leaders who can hold the trust of those they lead, while at the same time moving their organization forward. Leadership doesn’t mean going into a room, figuring out what you perceive as the best path forward, then giving marching orders.
If we are fortunate, we stumble upon great mentors who, in their own way, teach us to be better leaders. I believe it’s almost impossible to search for a true mentor or role model. They find you when you least expect it, if you’re willing to be vulnerable and listen to what they say.
It’s almost impossible to search for a true mentor or role model. They find you when you least expect it.
I was fortunate, in my first museum director position at a community college in Michigan, to have Dr. Marshall Bishop as my first professional boss. Dr. Bishop was a chemist by training, but by the time I arrived on campus he was vice president for instruction.
Tall, garrulous, and approachable, Dr. Bishop was instrumental in helping me navigate a very difficult personnel situation as a young administrator—not by telling me what to do, but by checking in on a regular basis and asking me what I thought the best steps were, moving forward. He didn’t resolve the situation for me, which he could have done quite easily, he metaphorically walked along with me as I learned how to handle such a situation.
Every Friday morning Dr. Bishop (to this day I can’t call him Marshall) would park a huge box of doughnuts in his office at the large round table he used as his desk (another brilliant move). Anyone in the college could stop by. Dr. Bishop was always there and conversations would range across the board but never touched on campus politics, budget issues, etc.
It was an opportunity for him to learn more about the people around him as people, not as employees. Later on, if an issue came up, it was much easier for you to approach him or for him to approach you.
Leaders listen.
True leadership is a scarce commodity. Fear is big. Coercion is popular. None of it lasts. The damage is always greater than the gain.
True leaders look, listen, and often hold their tongue as they work with others to determine what needs to be done. Leadership is about the soft touch. It’s about listening and being present for those you lead.
True leadership is based on trust built over time, not something given to you as part of a job title like an office or a new computer.
Some of the best leaders I’ve encountered are those who grew into their leadership role. They weren’t appointed, hired, or elected. Instead, they showed up, they were in the room; but they weren’t the loudest voice in the room demanding action or giving directions—they were asking questions and truly listening to all the answers, not only to those who agreed with them.
Why don’t we see more effective leaders? Why do towns seem to cycle through town managers? Why do heads of nonprofits spend a few years managing an organization and then move on to the next one? Why do we have a hard time finding committee chairs?
We’ve forgotten that effective leadership isn’t hired or appointed, it is earned and it takes time. In a world where we think everything can be fixed by an online search or unleashing an AI query we need to step back and realize that there are no quick fixes.
Fred Rogers—“Mr. Rogers” to you and me—always said that when you are scared or uncomfortable to “look for the helpers.” To me that means not the loudest or most intimidating voice in the room.
The best leaders are helpers. I think we can always learn something from Mr. Rogers.
For more than 30 years, Craig Olson has led organizations, studied, and written about leadership. A longtime resident of Islesboro, he is a used and rare bookseller who also coaches individuals on what it is to be better leaders. He can be reached at craigo4848@gmail.com.
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