Photography – Doug Dickerson on Leadership

You cannot lead others until you first lead yourself. You can lead yourself at your best only if you invest in yourself first. – John Maxwell

A few months back I was on my way to do a photoshoot. This particular one was a beach location which I always enjoy.

On this day, however, a fog had set in. What made it somewhat unusual was that a dense fog of that magnitude would likely occur in the early morning. However, this was a mid-afternoon shoot which caught me off guard.

Visibility on the beach was significantly diminished but the sunlight that peeked in through the clouds made for some fascinating shots. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the beach that day. The combination of the fog and piercing light gave me a new and much different perspective than I had ever experienced. It was truly memorable.

My approach that day to the photoshoot could have been one defined by frustrations over elements beyond my control. In photography, that is a common occurrence. One second you are ready for a shot and 30 seconds later the lighting changes or some other issue happens that momentarily alters your ability to take the photograph.

In photography, you can wait it out and make the necessary adjustments. I easily could have allowed the fog to cause me to throw in the towel and cancel the appointment, instead, I seized the opportunity to take some amazing photographs that I otherwise would not have been able to capture.

Life works this way too. Seldom does everything go according to plan all the time. Life happens. And when it does, you can either adjust and make the best of it, or you can be overcome by it.

There will be seasons when you find yourself in a fog as a leader. Call it a funk. Call it what you will, but you know what I’m talking about. You may be reading this now and saying “That’s me!”.

I must confess that I have been in a fog for several months. One of my strengths as a leader over the past few decades has been as a writer. Whether on my website’s blog, in my books, or contributing to magazines and other business publications, writing has been my go-to medium for communicating in the thought leadership space.

To that end, writing has always been a natural talent for me. Words have always flowed freely and any complaints from editors have centered around too many words, not too few. But for the past few months, I have found myself in a fog where my struggle was not figuring out what to do about too many words, but what to do about none.

If you are in a fog right now let me share a few lessons I’ve learned.

Don’t panic

From a meteorological perspective, fog occurs when the cool air mixes with the warm air over the water, the moist air cools until its humidity reaches 100%, and fog forms. In other words, it’s a natural weather phenomenon.

In leadership, it’s not uncommon to find yourself in a fog. It happens. But when it does, that’s not the time to panic, it’s a time to see your surroundings from a different perspective and draw on your leadership instincts to get through it. Trust the process. The fog won’t last forever, but it will give you time to learn new things about your surroundings and yourself.

Learn from it

Before the photoshoot, I was confident about my camera setting. I had done this before. But the fog changed everything. When you find yourself in a fog, you will draw from a different or seldom-used skill set to navigate your way. Embrace it and refine it.

From a leadership perspective, we don’t like being in a fog. We tend to panic and feel like things are slipping away from us. But it’s the time you spend in the fog that you learn a lot about yourself and what you are capable of. Don’t despise the fog, learn from it and be a better leader for it.

Be patient

Here’s what I know – the fog doesn’t last forever. And while we don’t like being in one, the lesson here is simple – be patient. The fog will lift. You will come through it.

The Roman poet Horace said, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” And this is the end game of emerging from the fog, to elicit talents and skills you haven’t used in a while. This will make you a better person and a better leader.

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If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes. – John Wooden

As an avid photographer (semi-professional) of many decades, I’ve come to learn a thing or two about mistakes. There’s nothing more satisfying than taking a good picture. Many factors come into play to make that happen, and oftentimes a little luck.

But on a typical photoshoot, it’s not uncommon to take 300-plus pictures in order to narrow down to 20 or 30 pictures that will pass muster for consideration in the final selection process.

Why do so many pictures not make the cut? In a word – mistakes. If the photoshoot was outdoor it could be lighting issues, eyes were closed, hair was a mess, the picture was not in focus, the composition wasn’t right, the 3-year-old quit cooperating, I hesitated too long on the shutter, and the list goes on.

Photography has been a rewarding passion for me over the years. But it’s also quite humbling. It humbles me when I step into the home of a family member or a friend and see their family portrait prominently placed and knowing I took it is humbling. Knowing the backstory of my countless mistakes in getting to that prominently placed picture is equally as humbling.

In leadership, as in photography, mistakes are bound to happen. Sometimes they are mistakes of our own creation while others are not. Either way, it’s part of a leader’s life.

My leadership mentor John Maxwell writes, “All leaders make mistakes. They are a part of life. Successful leaders recognize their errors, learn from them, and work to correct their faults.” And this is what separates successful leaders from the rest of the pack. Let’s look a little closer look.

All leaders make mistakes

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Welcome to the human race. But in leadership, perhaps we need to ask what mistakes are we making. Are they the same ones over and over? If so, perhaps the lessons haven’t been learned. But that aside, as a leader, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Making mistakes is a sign of progress and without making mistakes there will be no progress. Click To Tweet

Successful leaders recognize their mistakes and learn from them

This is the distinguishing characteristic of a strong leader. Being able to recognize one’s mistakes is essential. This involves humility and being grounded in reality. Perhaps you were just tone-deaf at the moment and made a poor decision. You didn’t take advice or listen to others before making a critical decision. Perhaps you didn’t delegate a task when you should have and it created issues you otherwise could have avoided. Successful leaders recognize this.

Successful leaders work to correct their mistakes

In order to be successful in your leadership, acknowledge that you make mistakes and also pour yourself into learning from them and making the necessary corrections. This is your work and obligation as a leader.

As a leader, there will always be something to work on and improve, but as you stick with it, you’ll be well on your way to significant growth as a leader.

*To see more of my photography visit Facebook.com/dougdickersonphotography

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Doug Dickerson on Leadership

Tag: Photography

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