“Lighting fires versus fighting fires.”
This comes from the approach of Barry-Wehmiller, a global supplier of technology solutions. Bob Chapman, the CEO, explains that they “celebrate those who light fires in others by caring, listening, recognizing, and inspiring.”1 They welcome and share new ideas instead of exercising control over their employees.
In his book, Leading Through, Kim Clark uses real-life examples like this to illustrate modern leadership styles. Kim Clark discusses how leaders today find power through others, rather than exercising power over others. Finding power through others helps people to feel empowered and supported in any organization. He explains this shift in power through the soul, heart, and mind of leadership.
I love how Kim Clark describes believing as a moral force; a force driven by our incentives to do good. As a leader, our belief in ourself and our employees is powerful. That belief drives us to lift them up and help them rise to their potential. Kim Clark explains how this creates an organization where every voice matters and every person is valued.
Kim Clark wants this leadership style to become a reality and at the end of his book, he gives three specific steps for the readers to create and implement this leadership style:
- Talk with and Listen to the People
- Establish a Baseline
- Make Progress in the Flow of Work
Kim Clark is now a professor at BYU teaching a new course about Christlike Leadership which will expand on the principles in this amazing book. He co-authored the book with his son, Jonathan Clark, a professor, and his daughter, Erin Clark, a consultant at Deloitte.
Notes
1Kim B. Clark, Jonathan R. Clark, and Erin E. Clark, Leading Through: Activating the Soul, Heart, and Mind of Leadership (Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2024), 127.