"As a leader, you leave a wake..."

The clinical psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, and leadership expert, Henry Cloud frequently talks about the "wake" that a leader leaves behind.  He wasn't talking about the social gathering that family members and friends hold to honor the death of a loved one.  Rather, he was talking about the wave patterns left on the water surface behind a moving object (usually a boat or ship).  I've never really thought much about 'wakes' per se, but there is apparently a whole science behind them.  As objects move through incompressible fluids (such as water), waves are formed because as the object displaces and disperses the water as it moves forward (think of the object as 'pushing away' the water ahead to the sides).

It's a beautiful metaphor when you think about it.  Dr. Cloud said, "As a leader, you leave a 'wake' behind you in every interaction, relationship, project, and season.  Your wake encompasses the results of your leadership, and the relationships with those you lead.  One without the other is ineffective."

Imagine a boat or ship moving through the water.  What kind of wake does it leave?  I think about a sailboat that moves swiftly, yet gracefully through the water, leaving a smooth, organized wake behind.  Contrast that with a motorboat that is moving quickly and chaotically through the water.  The boat is moving so fast, that it is violently bouncing up and down over the waves as it travels forward.  The wake that it leaves behind is just as chaotic.  None of the other boats want to follow behind it.  

So too, some leaders leave nothing but chaos behind.  Abraham Lincoln said, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."  It's almost 100% assured that each and every one of us has either worked for or at least knew of a leader who created chaos.  It's not fun. 

 Dr. Cloud emphasizes that the results and the relationships both contribute to a leader's wake.  They are equally important and co-dependent.    The Dalai Lama said, "Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects."  So too with wakes.  Think about it.  The crazy motorboat in my example above leaves the kind of wake that disturbs everyone else who's on the same lake.  It causes other boats to violently rock back and forth on its waves.  The people playing on the shore or standing on the dock might even get wet.  The effects of a poor leader are far-reaching and often long-lasting.

Dr. Cloud goes on further with his analogy, "The wake is the results we leave behind.  And the wake doesn't lie and it doesn't care about excuses.  It is what it is.  No matter what we try to do to explain why, or to justify what the wake is, it still remains.  It is what we leave behind and is our record."

I bet that you will know what question I will end with today.  It's a fairly simple question, but it is an important one to ask.  What kind of wake will you leave?