The First Job of a Leader

I sit here, typing these words, with a hot cup of coffee, a warm pair of slippers, and perhaps the most comfortable chair ever invented. The chair is called an Aeron, and it was created by the Herman Miller company.

Herman Miller is a very interesting company. Their designs are beautiful. Which causes them to win all kinds of awards. And, as I have mentioned, their products are simultaneously elegant and utilitarian.

Herman Miller got its start in 1905. The company was, and is, based out of a little town called Zeeland, Michigan. Knowing this, we immediately encounter a challenge. How do you attract high-level designers to a little town in western Michigan? In a word; excellence.

The company was started by DJ DePree, who obviously did a great job, before turning the reins over to his son Max. Throughout its history, Herman Miller has focused on building a great organization, not just great products.

The level of institutional intelligence, at Herman Miller, is quite impressive. Today, I simply want to mention one point. It is a quote from Max DePree. Max said, "The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality."

This is a really important concept because, the truth is, many people try to deny reality. You see, we humans have mastered the art of wishful thinking. For various reasons, we choose to believe reality is what we want it to be, rather than what it truly is.

Life is to be lived and enjoyed. This I truly believe. So, there will always be room for romance. There will always be room for wishes, dreams, and fantasy. That said, leadership is about getting stuff done. The right stuff!

I think I am going to leave it at that. If you are, or hope to be, a leader, your first responsibility is to define reality. It is your job to distinguish between truth and fantasy. And, this is usually not very easy because we have a real knack for wishful thinking.

How do we overcome our proclivity to delude ourselves with wishful thinking? I wish I had a magic potion to give you. Truth be told, I think it boils down to an old, boring word. Practice. (sorry not sorry)