Growing Leaders, Part 3 (Go For It!)

I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. ~Ralph Nader

I had this vague plan forming in my head over the past months. At first it was vaporous, fleeting ideas, unclear images to which I could not give form. They represented a feeling, a sense of something was amiss in my company. Then one early, early morning I was laying in bed wide awake suffering with a body that had yet to catch up the 7 time zones I had crossed the previous day the ideas started to take form. They were still amorphous but I was able to understand that which had been troubling me. We were an organization that had minimal bench strength, a organization that was not growing leaders. I presented a preliminary plan to my immediate manager and was told my vision paralleled an idea Senior Management had bandied about. I was also told that my vision was not large enough. My manager then told we I would be included in the talks with Senior Management to help craft the vision.

Well, I met with them today.  My manager opened the meeting reminding the other Directors about their conversation a couple months prior about a need to better develop leaders. He told them that I had proposed a preliminary plan along the same lines. When asked, I explained briefly what I had been thinking. They asked a few questions, primarily, how I would go about selecting the pilot group and made a few suggestions.

This is the only part of the conversation where my vision and theirs deviated. They wanted people who were interested in exploring leadership to be involved in a training/mentoring program whereas I only want people with a passion for leadership, people whose DNA oozes leadership, people whose internal gifts need nurturing to develop as quickly as possible. 

As the meeting was coming to a close, I was very happy we were, for all practical purposes, on the same page. I was happy that they believed in the vision I had begun crafting. I was happy that, by putting my vision to paper, I was able to kick start them into moving in, what I believe, was the direction my company needs to go so we can build a solid foundation for the future, for our future and the future of the Engineering group. 

However, I was not prepared for how the meeting concluded. When I entered the meeting, I was hoping to be at least a cog in their plan to grow leaders. So, I was surprised when the VP told me to go with it. He handed me the reigns to the program. I am now on the hook to put together a training plan and it's due in two weeks. The roller coaster ride has begun!