The real role of a Sensei
The first lesson that stick with me from the book “Leadership Strategy and Tactics” by Jocko Willink is this:
HELP YOUR TEAM WIN
Sounds simple enough and straightforward and damn obvious.
Whether your team is your family, co-workers or even your karate school, your job, as a leader, is to help them grow and succeed.
That’s clear.
What’s not clear though is why should we mention this in the first place. There are many reason we need this reminder but the one that comes to mind is because we simply forget.
In such an ambitious and competitive world, our aim seems to have changed from living in a community vs living as individuals. When we live as individual, we do everything to get the top and it could take the form of family neglect, trampling over our friends and colleagues and “taking care of number one”.
I‘m a form believer in teamwork. It’s a concept instilled in me when I first started to work in McDonald’s. If the team doesn’t work together, the team fails.
In order to work as team, you Have to let go of your own ego and do what you need to do to support your team. As leader, that can mean to let someone else lead and you follow. As a team member, it means listening and collaborate with your teammates.
If you focus on what’s best for the team, it will not doubt help you as well. But if you focus on yourself only, it will eventually cause your ruin.
This way of thinking for me as been reinforced when I became a dad. As a father, you essentially “disappear”. Your kid and your family comes first and you’ll do anything for your family.
It is about living together. To support your teams in all arenas of your life and move forward and together, move forward.
