Support: The Double-Edged Sword
Powerful but must be wielded skillfully.
Context:
Two weeks ago, I ran for a division director role in my Toastmasters. This means I will be leading a team of four people to support their own cluster of four (or five, if we do it right) clubs.
To be honest, I didn't want to do it at first. I didn't think I was ready for such a big responsibility. Despite having been an area director for the last year (one of the people responsible for a cluster of four clubs), I wasn't confident that I'd done a good job, nor that I'd be able to do a good job in this upcoming position.
But I was elected, and I had no choice but to accept it😅.
What happened next surprised me. For the next week and a half, I was met with overwhelming support.
It encouraged me to stop questioning why others thought that I should do this, and instead to start questioning how I could do my best….
Toastmasters who I had worked with previously expressed their willingness to help when I asked them to join my team. Some even recommended members from their own clubs who they felt could grow from this opportunity to work with me.🤯
In every instance, people shared that from my interactions and the work that they had seen me do, they trusted me not only to do a good job but also to help them grow. That trust and support made all of the difference. It encouraged me to stop questioning why others thought that I should do this and instead to start questioning how I could do my best to continue the work that I have been doing up until this point.
I decided to take ownership of this new position not because I was forced into it, but because people trusted me to do it well and they were willing to help me throughout the process.
This, to me, is the beauty of support, and the value of servant leadership. When you lead to serve, those who you serve will trust you and want to help you lead too.
But support is also a double-edged sword. While it can empower you and inspire you, it can also harm you and hinder you if you are not careful. Here are some of the pitfalls of serving others:
- You might neglect your own needs and burn out.
- You might lose sight of your own goals and vision.
- You might become too dependent on others' feedback and approval.
- You might have difficulty saying no or setting boundaries.
What do you think are some other ways that support can be a double-edged sword? Share them in the comments and stay tuned for my take in the next post!
Congratulations! And very true.