Leadership is not about your job title says Robin Sharma, author of the book, The Leader who had no Title.
In last week’s post I discussed the importance of frontline managers in driving organisational performance. This week, let’s examine leading even when you have no management or leadership role.
I’m a road cyclist. One of those guys who pour themselves into fitting lycra gear and acts like a Tour de France wannabe, just 10 – 15 kph slower than the real thing. While considering Sharma’s message I’ve come to the realisation that my actions as a cyclist have an impact on other people – on motorists, and therefore on other cyclists. Whether I like it or not, I take a leadership role whenever I ride on the road.
New Zealand, Australia and the USA do not have the sort of history and passion found in Europe for cycling as a sport, a recreational past-time, or for commuting. Rather, we have a very car dominated culture. Cycling is a relatively safe sport. Compared to common sports such as football, rugby, squash, basketball and soccer the accident rates are low. However, about 70% of cycling accidents are caused by car and truck drivers. When you get hit by a car or truck while riding a bike, the event changes the rest of your life.
Having ridden motorcycles for almost a decade, driven cars for almost 40 years, and ridden bikes for almost 50 I can say that motorists in general appear ignorant of the needs of road cyclists. Some motorists even act in a highly aggressive manner towards cyclists and deliberately physically endanger them. I put this down to a lack of experience.
Very few people cycle these days. It may be a growing trend amongst middle aged men – leading to the observation that ‘cycling is the new golf’ – but everyday cycling has been in steady decline over the past 30 years. By way of example, my son is one of only about 15 students who regularly cycles to his secondary school, which has a roll of slightly more than 1,000 students. Yet when I went to a similar size school in the 1970’s nearly every student either walked or cycled to school.
Most motorists aren’t road cyclists, they aren’t motorcyclists and they aren’t truck drivers. Consequently many motorists simply don’t appreciate the driving and handling dynamics of other vehicles. This ignorance means that they sometimes make decisions that create problems for other road users.
Further, many motorists who don’t cycle themselves have developed negative stereotypes about cyclists. Whenever a cyclist acts inappropriately on the road, as some do, that act confirms the negative stereotype. Unfortunately, some cyclists do not follow the road rules. They run red lights, go through pedestrian crossings when they should give way, and (legally) ride two abreast when road width or traffic volumes are such that riding in single file would be more considerate towards other road users. This, of course, is not exclusive to cyclists. You can see many motorists acting just as badly on any given day.
However, because we stand out as different, our actions as cyclists on the road are scrutinised by hundreds of motorists every time we ride. Whenever we fail to follow the road rules, act inconsiderately towards others, or react angrily when a car passes us then immediately brakes hard to stop or turn, our every move is observed by someone. We may have perfectly valid reasons for doing these things. But that’s irrelevant.
So I’ve decided to become a positive example, which we can all do irrespective of our role in life. I’ve decided to stop at every stop light, obey every road rule, and smile and wave when motorists drive carelessly near me. I’ve already seen that by doing so I can positively influence the actions of those around me. Cyclists who happen on a red light at the same time as me are more inclined to stop if I do. And they are more inclined to pay attention to their actions around motorists if I raise it as an issue.
More importantly, if I can influence other cyclists through my actions I can also influence motorists who observe me. If I consistently act in ways that they find acceptable, then some of them may be more likely to treat cyclists with courtesy. And if I can prevent just one close call for another cyclist by doing so, the effort will be worthwhile.
So what’s the take away for you? Well I’d like to suggest that we are all leaders, whether we like it or not. We control our own behaviour. The way we choose to act frequently becomes a model for others to follow – for our children, our colleagues and complete strangers. We can choose to be a positive model for others, and by doing so become a greater positive influence in the world.
Photo by Neil Asher