Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Sam Centellas, Executive Director of La Casa de Amistad. We hope you enjoy Sam’s wisdom and perspective.
I get asked a lot… what makes a good leader? What makes you successful? What is the ONE thing that I can do to be more successful? Everyone always seems willing to do just one easy thing, one try, and one chance to get the results they want.
I always reply that everyone is different. We all bring different skills, desires, timelines, and abilities to the table. Those variables change the way we lead, what motivates us, how we motivate others, and what we need to be successful.
Usually then people who wanted a quick answer hang their head and walk away thinking I either don’t know the answer or I don’t think they are cut out to be a good leader. The problem is being a leader isn’t easy. It isn’t a decision you make one time and it’s done. Leading takes consistency, focus, planning, and deliberate action.
I teach leadership, and I love to teach through analogies. I also love to garden, and the perfect analogy came to me about what it takes to be a good leader, and how you GROW your leadership skills.
Leaders are all like flowers… DIFFERENT. Lilies bloom early in the year, hydrangeas bloom late, crab apple trees bloom in the spring and that bloom turns into fruit later. Flowers need different types of soil and amounts of light. And while they all need water, how much water they get varies from plant to plant. This is why I can’t tell you the one thing you should do as a leader - my style will be different than yours. So spend time learning about yourself. You could try personality indicators and other inventories which help you highlight your strengthens and minimize your weaknesses.
Leaders grow but you can’t take SHORTCUTS. We need different things and we produce different things, it’s genetic. Flowers need good soil, water, and sun. More importantly they also all need the right balance. You can’t rush a flower by watering it more, and covering it with too much soil won’t make it bloom bigger… it might actually die. The same goes for leadership. What you need and the right balance of those things can change with the seasons of your life. Take your time, follow the lead of mentors, and listen to what you need. You can’t lead others if you aren’t well nurtured and trying to rush.
Leaders have to be AUTHENTIC to who they are inside. I can’t expect a lily to grow an apple blossom, or a hydrangea to bloom roses, and for sure I can’t grow tropical fruits in South Bend, Indiana. Flowers have to be the best them - which could mean an early bloom, smaller blooms that go all year, or just a single beautiful bloom once a year. Just like flowers, we need everyone to be who they are, to lead how they were designed, and to not risk being the best you by trying to be the best someone else. You can only fake a wrong style for so long. So work on what makes you lead well and grow those skills.
What’s The Risk?
If you are rushing to be who you aren’t, you risk losing everything you are inside. If flowers risked who they are to be something else they would die. Don't risk being the best leader you can be by trying to lead like someone else.
Embrace what makes you different, don’t take shortcuts, and remain authentic! Take your time. Focus on the occasions when you feel you were the most effective, and learn to use what made that time positive. Look at times you failed and strive to reduce those types of issues in the future.
Stop looking at other leaders and how they fail or succeed. Start being you! Let your leadership bloom and grow perfectly and in the right time.
This content was written and shared by guest blogger, Sam Centellas.
Sam Centellas is the Executive Director of La Casa de Amistad a Latino focused non-profit community center on the West Side of South Bend, Indiana.
Sam was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and came to the States in the 1st grade. He grew up in Michigan, loves cars and is an engineer by trade, an administrator by training, and an educator by heart.
Sam’s involvements range from economic development, to hazing prevention, and leadership development of college students and community organizing. Sam was appointed by the Mayor of South Bend as a Commissioner to the Housing Authority and to the Diversity Utilization Board helping develop minority and women owned businesses. Sam currently serves on the Supervisory Board of the Notre Dame Federal Credit Union, Community Advisory Board of Junior League, and the Executive Committee for the Latin American Chamber of Commerce.
Connect with Sam on LinkedIn and Twitter. Connect with La Casa via their website, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
