“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Isaac Newton

In our journey of growing in leadership there can be a tendency to criticize and critique the leadership of others. It can be a blatant critique, but more often than not it can come in a subtle form of what C.S. Lewis said is chronological snobbery. Lewis explains chronological snobbery as “the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate of our own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that count discredited.” It’s a sneaky hubris that can come at the critique of past leadership.

Have you ever thought, “I would have handled that situation differently,” when analyzing a decision a leader has made? I have. When looking back at situations and decisions that others have made I can come in with the omniscient expertise of knowing how decisions played out in the future. But that leader, in that moment, at that time, in that circumstance, didn’t. They knew exactly what was in front of them and attempted to make the best decision possible.

Do you know why I might say, “I would have handled that differently?” Because now I’m standing on the shoulders of their decision. I can see further now, not because I’m taller, but because I’ve learned from their decision making. In fact, I owe my knowledge, my insight, and my leadership skills not to my ingenuity, but to the results of other people’s decisions and discoveries. It makes me wonder, would I really have made a different decision if I didn’t know what I know now? If I was in the same position, would I have made a similar decision? Would you?

“I can see further now, not because I’m taller, but because I’ve learned from their decision making.”

I recently picked up Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It’s a mammoth book not only in content but in its analysis of four great leaders in American history of the last 150+ years. If you enjoy history, you will not be disappointed. She pulls together a string of leaders who looked to previous leadership for guidance and wisdom. Theodore Roosevelt looked to and learned from the leadership of Abraham Lincoln to confront the challenges in his days. Franklin Roosevelt learned from Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in addressing the challenges of the Great Depression and World War II. Lyndon B. Johnson served under Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency in the White House and was mentored by him in the early days of his political career. Every leader learned from previous leadership and their decisions when addressing the conflicts presented in their day. Every leader stood on the shoulders of a giant. 

Every leader stands on the shoulders of a giant.

And when we stand on the shoulders of a giant, we can see more, and we can address the challenges of our generation, our workplace, and our family. It’s true, no one before us has seen our challenges, but we have the opportunity to move forward drawing from the wisdom and leadership of others in our family tree of leadership. They are there to help guide us in the leadership challenges facing us today. 

“And when we stand on the shoulders of a giant, we can see more.”

It makes me grateful in my own leadership. I’m grateful for the wisdom and leadership of those who have gone before me. I am following in some great footsteps in my own leadership journey. And so are you. As you and I continue to grow in our leadership, we’re building on the foundation of the leaders before us. We have joined the great procession of leaders who have forged the trail helping us get here. And now we get to take the baton and keep on. We’re here on our journey because someone went before us, and we’ll get to do the same for someone else. 

We too will be the giants someone else stands on, so they can see what we could never see.

Photo by Edi Libedinsky on Unsplash