Who is leadership about?

This article is hardly an article at all. It is really more of a bulleted list of self-evaluative questions one in leadership should ask oneself constantly. The “article” lists questions that General MacArthur asked himself. What struck me about this is the interesting balance of focus regarding who the subject is. We often hear that we should be concerned if someone uses too many “I statements.” I however, often think that we don’t use enough, which helps us displace responsibility for our leadership mishaps, and general failings. This list is all “I statements.” However, they are “I statements that focus on others.” In each of them, General M. is representing his efforts as the subject which falls under his own scrutiny. If we were to diagram the sentences, we’d say that the subject is I, but this somewhat misses the mark. Take for example the first as an example. “Do I heckle my subordinates or strengthen and encourage them?” The real matter here is whether his actions are appropriate for the person in his charge; his “heckling” or “encouragement” is the subject, though not in a 7th grade sentence diagramming way. As I read through this list I realize that MacArthur’s simple questions put at the center his efforts as a leader. These questions place the responsibility for his subordinates firmly on his shoulders. The “I statements” are beautifully written here, they aren’t self-absorbed, rather inviting to the responsibility that is rightly his. I hope to have this perspective of welcoming responsibility in my own leadership.