Being a good leader is not easy but is it worth it! Whether you lead as a Mom, Dad, CEO or Janitor it is all the same. It takes intent, work, courage and never giving up because you mess up. Leaders, though often under the radar, are noticed more because of what they do. Expectations of leaders are higher if they are effective because do the right things more than not, so everyone believes they will do so consistently. They have a positive impact and make a favorable impression.
ESPN television talk show host on Speak for Yourself, Jason Whitlock, said something recently that caused me pause and to think deeply about his comments. It was Martin Luther King Day and he commented positively about Martin Luther King Jr. being a great role model. I agree! Then he talked about some star athletes who he deemed as influencers and shone an unfavorable light on them. He deemed them self-promoters and simply selling themselves and selling products to the highest bidders. It is hard to disagree that they are doing what Jason described, but is that wrong? Companies spend money on advertising in a variety of ways. If they use high-profile athletes to promote their goods, is that inappropriate? For many athletes, a significant amount of their income is derived from promotional activity. Brett Favre sells jeans; Terry Bradshaw sells walk-in tubs and Michael Jordan sells underwear.
What Jason talked about was rather subjective, so regardless of the debate, there are likely no winners, only opinions. The part that I struggled with is his separation of role model and influencer roles. The definition of role model is “a person looked to by others as an example to be imitated”. The definition of an influencer is “a person or thing that influences another”. From these dictionary descriptions it appears that he may have a point to support his argument. The differing definition is not what I wrestled with, but rather the application of the terms.
Leadership guru John Maxwell says “Leadership is influence. It is the ability to obtain followers. When the leader lacks confidence the followers have no commitment. A leader is great not because of his power, but because of his ability to empowers others.” He makes a solid point. If you have the ability to influence others you surely have the wherewithal to encourage and motivate others to perform at a higher level and take initiative.
Jason’s statement and monologue on his show depicted being an influencer as negative and he highly favored the role model characterization. That conclusion is in direct conflict with John Maxwell’s opinion which touts the ability to empower others because of influence. In other words, John believes influencers are also role models, or at least should be. To me, it is akin to being a manager versus a leader. You have likely heard it said or seen it written that “managers do things right and leaders do the right things”. To be honest, I used to use that description often. Now I debunk it because I believe it is both a bogus misrepresentation, and also lets managers off the hook. If you are a manger, you best also be a leader. If not, reconsider your role and either relinquish the position or get help to improve.
Both Jason and John’s descriptions of the roles are beyond academic. Jason infused his oration with passion and cited athletes for being self-serving versus being people to be looked up to that could help their followers better their lots in life by emulating their examples. If you think about it, how many young kids will be fortunate enough to make a living promoting sneakers or apparel on television? Jason’s position seemed to me as one of helping people become someone who has grown from within rather than someone who is selling a product.
Because John Maxwell is a mentor of mine, I know him well enough to assure you that his perspective has everything to do with personal growth. And so, I believe that Jason may have left out the cross section of role model and influencer to make his point of those people simply ignoring the opportunity to be role models for commercial gain.
Martin Luther King was both a stellar role model and a powerful influencer. And there have been others such as Mother Teresa, Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan, Fred Rogers, and the list goes on. If not mistaken, at the root of all their efforts was a spirit of wanting to and working hard to do the right thing to help others. According to ancient scripture, God instructed Moses to select Joshua as a successor because he had “the spirit of leadership”.
John Maxwell’s instruction is that we should use our influence for the good of others. Jason Whitlock illustrates how he believes those of influence don’t always use it for the greater good but only for themselves. They are both right! What “good” is influence if not used so that others will benefit?