As a person of Italian heritage on Columbus Day, and always interested in leadership issues, I sometimes wonder what leadership lessons we can learn from Christopher Columbus. Well, I was fortunate enough to come across this enlightening post on the very topic from Mr. Larry Boyer on social media today. Mr. Larry Boyer is a regular LinkedIn Top Contributor creating and sharing content on Big Data, Advanced Analytics, Risk Management, Leadership and Career Development. He applies his diverse background in physics, economics, management, and personal development to help organizations and individuals excel and achieve peak performance. I think he has done a masterful job on this issue. Please read and see what you think:
Are we missing the critical leadership development lessons Christopher Columbus gave us?
More than 500 years ago Christopher Columbus set sail and discovered America. Was this a grand achievement for a man, a nation, humanity or generations to come? What are the lesson of personal achievement and leadership that Christopher Columbus has taught us?
Today we focus so much on the activity, the man and his deeds that we miss the deeper importance of Christopher Columbus. Did Columbus discover America? Did someone else? If he thought he discovered India did he really discover America? Was America really “discovered”? What about the treatment of the natives by Columbus and those who followed him? Christopher Columbus was revered by and inspired generations for a reason that is often overshadowed by today’s critiques.
What are we missing that can help us today?
5 Leadership Lessons from Christopher Columbus
- Luck favors the prepared
- Be Bold. Be Different
- Ignore Nay Sayers
- Find people who believe in you
- Let go of the familiar and safe
Luck Favors the Prepared
Was Columbus just lucky? One of the first criticisms of successful leaders and visionaries they were just lucky to be at the right place at the right time. Anyone could have done the same thing. It’s just lucky this person did it and someone else didn't. Columbus was trying to sail to India and was just lucky he found something else instead.
What appears to be a lucky happenstance is the result of years of work and preparation. Leaders make luck happen through preparation. Columbus spent years developing his idea and going around Europe looking for financial backing. He had to believe and convince others that the world might be round. Like any great leader, Columbus spent a lot of time getting prepared for his opportunity. When an opportunity appears you need to be ready to both recognize it and to be able to take advantage of it.
Be Bold. Be Different.
Columbus had a bold idea. An idea that was different from everyone else around him and certainly different from his seafaring peers. In his day ship captains kept in sight of the shore, ensuring they would not fall of the edge of the Earth or be consumed by sea monsters. Columbus understood that if he continued to do the same thing everyone else was doing, he would at best continue to get the same results as everyone else. If you want to achieve something great it is going to have to be by doing something different than what everyone else is doing.
Ignore the Naysayers
Everywhere Christopher Columbus went people laughed at him for his idea that the Earth was round as he traveled Europe looking for support. He was sent away time after time. His peers and colleagues in the sail industry thought him to be a mad man for making such suggestions. Everywhere he went sharing his idea he was dismissed, ridiculed and marginalized. It is very easy to stat to listen to the voices of the naysayers. They will always be around. Leaders who believe in their mission will ignore the naysayers and continue moving forward.
Find People Who Believe In You
Leaders know they cannot be successful alone. They need the support of people who believe in them. Even if those people are uncertain themselves they believe enough to put themselves on the line and be part of your team. Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain were the first. And then there were the people on his crew. Each of his supporters may have had different goals and objectives than Columbus, but they were all aligned in support him in his efforts. Undoubted some were less supportive than others. It doesn't matter. Great leaders use this support, whatever the level, to charge forward.
Let Go Of The Familiar And Safe
Perhaps the greatest lesson from Columbus’s leadership is to let go of what is familiar and safe and have the faith that you and your supporters will have what it takes to face the unknown, adapt and move forward. Columbus literally did this in that we simply cannot replicate in today’s business world. However we do know what it means feel secure and not want to take chances with our careers and finances and avoid taking risks. Those who let go and take a chance may fail at first. Getting up and moving forward, past your comfort zone, is where success lies. Leaders face their fears and move forward.
What have you learned from Columbus that you apply in your life today?
I hope these thoughts on the leadership of Christopher Columbus have been helpful to you. You can read other posts on my website at www.successandmindset.com or contact me directly at doctorpaul@successandmindset.com for more information on how Success and Mindset Group can help take you and your organization to the next level.