Twenty-three years ago today, if you will cast your minds back, on this same occasion I gave the opening prayer in which I said: “We have met here today clothed in the black robes of a false priesthood . . .” Many have asked me since whether I really said such a shocking thing, but nobody has ever asked what I meant by it. Why not? Well, some knew the answer already; and as for the rest, we do not question things at “the BYU.” But for my own relief, I welcome this opportunity to explain. (See entire speech at the bottom of this post. I also have it in mp3.)
Leaders break the mold of mediocrity. They are bold and take a chance, they set the highest example, “‘A ship in port is safe,'” says Captain Hopper speaking of management, ‘but that is not what ships were built for,’ she says, calling for leadership…Leaders are movers and shakers, original, inventive, unpredictable, imaginative, full of surprises.” (Nibley)
They help you feel good about yourself. Your contribution is valuable. You are more of an equal. Joseph Smith was a leader. Supposedly he was not a good manager. Brigham Young recalled that many of the men felt that they were better managers than Joseph, and they probably were. But he always deferred to Joseph, believing that God was the wiser.
Leaders are facilitators, they know where they want to go and give followers the tools. “Managers want authority, leaders take responsibility.” (Seth Godin)
“The leader, for example, has a passion for equality. We think of great generals from David and Alexander on down, sharing their beans or maza with their men, calling them by their first names, marching along with them in the heat, sleeping on the ground, and being first over the wall.”( Nibley)
I noticed that the leader in this video/scenario is taking a bold step — he is definitely coloring outside the lines, but when someone joins in, “notice the leader embraces him as an equal, so it’s not about the leader anymore – it’s about them, plural.” — after that, other people seem excited to join in:
Hugh Nibley — Leaders to Managers the Fatal Shift
[embeddoc url=”https://www.deilataylor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Leaders-to-Managers_-The-Fatal-Shift_-by-Hugh-Nibley.pdf” download=”all”]
Originally posted 2015, updated 2022.
