00:00:12.440
Nothing like just standing here awkwardly while everyone gets settled. I probably should have made a more grand entrance. Anyway, this talk is titled 'Leading When You're Not in Charge'. My name is Scott Lesser, and I’m a senior developer at Life.Church.
00:00:18.000
You might be curious about what a church developer does. If you’re someone who doesn't care, that’s totally fine! Just to clear the air, I'm not responsible for any of those flashy church websites. I wish that were the case, but I don’t have those skills. I want to give you a quick background about what we do at Life.Church.
00:00:34.860
We have 25 different engineers across three teams, and I lead one of those engineering teams. My team is specifically focused on building software that we give away to other churches. My leadership journey has been a bit bumpy and rough. This gift that I’ve captured is almost like falling backward into it. A few years ago, I was in a holding pattern in my career. I was still growing as a developer but wanted more responsibility.
00:01:01.739
I wasn't really sure how to go about getting it. Should I pester my boss? Was it just about excelling at my job? I was part of the culture at Life.Church, which emphasizes growing as a leader, and I wanted that too. However, I didn’t really know what that meant. Honestly, I thought, once I landed a leadership position, I would figure it out. Fast forward to now—I’m leading a small team of engineers, and I realized that I could have been doing these things all along.
00:01:29.850
I didn’t need to be in a leadership position to lead well. Rather than wanting more influence, I should have been using my existing influence to do more. You can think of me as the ghost of Christmas past up here, trying to convey that if you don’t change your ways, you won’t get anywhere. My hope for today is that we have some awkward laughs and fun, and you pick one of the topics that stands out to you and work on that.
00:02:06.960
So what is leadership? Thanks to confirmation bias, I was able to find a quote that aligns exactly with my feelings about it. Kati Christie says, 'Leadership should be the humble, authentic expression of your unique personality in pursuit of bettering whatever environment you are in.' You might be thinking, 'I had more of a General Patton type leadership image in mind,' right? Strong command and inspiring vision to lead into battle.
00:02:54.210
We're going to discuss older models of leadership theories, which suggest that you're either born a leader or not. There's a set of attributes, like a General Patton type leader, that you either emulate or are simply born with. In newer models of leadership, it's really about discovering what is unique about you and leading from your strengths and weaknesses. One newer model is the Three Levels of Leadership. There are three levels to this model: personal leadership, private leadership, and public leadership.
00:03:34.890
Personal leadership is about learning to lead yourself. Private leadership is peer leadership, leading coworkers one-on-one, while public leadership is leading teams of two or more. Today, we'll focus on personal leadership. Some of you might think, 'I do not want public leadership; I just want to feel heard and lead right where I’m at,' and that's perfect. As long as you're getting better as a leader, your team and organization are improving as well.
00:04:20.120
One more quick thing—I'll be using Yahoo Answers as a learning aid and segue between topics. If you don’t know what Yahoo Answers is, it's a place for asking questions with a mix of serious and often ridiculous responses—the internet's own catnip for trolls. This slide isn’t entirely accurate because Verizon recently announced they were renaming Yahoo as Oath, but I will still refer to it as Yahoo Answers.
00:04:40.620
So what can you expect from Yahoo Answers? Something like this: 'I need a word that begins with J, not jelly!' Everyone immediately thinks of jelly, but she doesn't want that. You can get some succinct lists here, like classic J words such as 'jurisprudence' and 'jojoba.' Let's start by discussing leading yourself. Before you can expect to lead others, you need to lead yourself well. This can look like some basic things, such as showing up to work on time.
00:05:04.120
Pick something that you can work on. If showing up on time is your issue, then that's what you can improve. It’s not only about getting your work done on time but also being prepared. If your team does daily stand-ups, make sure you’re ready instead of starting with 'Give me a minute; I’m not sure what I'm doing today.' Be a self-starter. It's essential as a leader to motivate those around you. If you can’t even motivate yourself, it’s going to be tough.
00:05:49.800
Don't be complicated! I love this principle because it's a simple filter for making decisions. Are you making your boss's job harder? Are you a distraction? Are you hard to lead? Just don’t be complicated. As for the 100 leadership qualities, I think we reach the point where we're just describing basic human traits. While I appreciate the attempt to create lists, details can be unnecessary.
00:06:34.460
I encountered a quote that really nailed this idea about leadership. The reason I love it is because of the credibility of the source. If you want to learn more about leadership, dive into it. Let's discuss leading up. I’m sure many of you have seen this kind of discussion in leadership talks and might be curious about it. John Maxwell, a leadership author, describes ‘leading up’ as adding value to those above you to influence them. This doesn’t mean bossing your boss; it’s about supporting them and adding value to the organization.
00:07:23.960
A few tips if you want to lead up: Honor publicly and be cautious with criticism privately. When you honor publicly, it increases your influence behind closed doors. If you want to be a person of influence, you need to learn to be led. Timing matters—respect your boss's time. If they’re busy, don’t spend 40 minutes explaining how you solved a problem. Just inform them that it’s resolved. Be prepared before speaking with your boss.
00:08:04.420
Your motive matters too. If your goal is self-serving and not about the organization, that’s a red flag. Be proactive and look for tasks that need to be done. Ask your boss how you can alleviate their burden. But remember, don’t be a yes-man. If you’re appreciative just to appease your boss, you’ll lose credibility quickly if others already dislike that idea.
00:08:43.520
Now for some moral questions. Those questions on Yahoo Answers might bring out humorous answers. For example, should you take a bribe to change eBay feedback? The consensus might be yes. But consider this: A recent study found that 46% of new hires fail within 18 months—26% of those blame their inability to accept feedback. So if you’re getting negative feedback, here are some ways to process it: Don’t justify it in the moment and seek clarity.
00:09:56.540
Ask for examples and practical suggestions for improvement. If feedback hits hard, you can buy time by saying you want to unpack it more. And when you receive critical feedback, it’s key to remember to thank the person giving it, as it’s hard for them too. Allow yourself to take offline and process it—don’t feel pressured to react right away. Consider the wisdom behind the feedback, as it may include truths that could help you grow. Seeking feedback is important, and you need to express gratitude for it.
00:12:24.030
Application is key—don’t be someone who consistently acknowledges feedback without implementing change. You need to show improvement or growth, otherwise, it becomes merely talk. Let’s shift and discuss self-awareness, which is about understanding your character, feelings, motives, and desires. Self-awareness allows you to identify your strengths, weaknesses, and potential blind spots.
00:12:48.120
There are many tools available to help with self-awareness, including personality tests like Myers-Briggs or StrengthsFinder. They reveal unique qualities you can rely on as a leader. When I took these tests, I found that I was more inclined toward emotional intelligence (EQ), which has been shown to better predict leadership potential than IQ.
00:13:16.270
After receiving feedback through 360 assessments, I realized I needed to improve my communication skills. Talking is not the same as effective communication—understanding your audience is essential. If you’re too technical with a non-technical person, it won’t resonate. Deliver important messages in person when possible since email or chat can lose nuance.
00:14:14.230
Following up after conversations is crucial. To know if your message has been received correctly, ask questions like, 'What will you do next?' If there’s a discrepancy in understanding, it helps identify where to clarify. Being proactive is necessary; if you're behind on a project, update your team leader instead of waiting for inquiries.
00:15:27.020
Addressing the unique question of how to get a job if you're too attractive showcases the humorous side of feedback discussions. But on a serious note, humility is critical in leadership. True humility means not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. It’s about understanding your role and the importance of others, too.
00:15:56.280
For me, this is the secret ingredient to effective leadership. I experienced stagnation in my career. When I decided to put my team and organization first, prioritizing their success over my desire for recognition, I was eventually promoted. Leaders eat last emphasizes that leadership is about benefiting others rather than wielding power.
00:16:45.920
In every encounter, we either give life or drain it. Each interaction should seek to add value to those around you. If you leave this talk without taking action, it detracts from your growth and from your team. Pick one actionable item from our discussion today and commit to improvement. Use your existing influence to create change.
