Читать книгу People Follow People - Sam Cawthorn - Страница 28

Growing up in a large family in country Tasmania, I was number nine of 11 children. Looking back at my childhood, I can see that the first person who showed me how to lead was my father.

My father was an outstanding leader and a great role model for his sons and daughters. I looked up to him as someone who really stood up for what he believed in. He was a man of strong religious faith. He always held his ground; he spoke his mind when he needed to and kept quiet when he needed to. I don't remember him ever drinking alcohol, smoking or swearing. From a moral standpoint, he was a solid person, and that was something I aspired to; I was determined to follow his example. He set such high standards, though, that none of us really felt we could match them. I think many of us felt we couldn't meet his expectations, and this raised issues that each of us had to deal with.

Mum was amazing. She showed her love through acts of service and always provided for us. She didn't show a lot of affection, but she did the best she could with 11 children. She was not an easy person to live with when we were young, but she has since apologised to us all.

Witnessing the dynamics between my parents as we were growing up was interesting, to say the least. Yet the beautiful thing was that my parents were committed to each other and stayed together. As a couple they set an example that has taught me a lot about dealing with different personalities and finding common ground, even if the path to it can be rocky.

I also started to think about the various ways to lead by watching people in the many different churches we attended when I was a child and a teenager. I saw how what the church leaders, the pastors up the front, were saying and doing didn't always align with what they were telling us to do. I suppose my inner critic was strong and I was sometimes very judgemental of them. Holding up my father as the ultimate role model, I couldn't respect people who didn't live as he did and truly practise what they preached. This was something I thought a lot about as I got older and became a pastor myself.

The principal and some of the teachers at my school were leaders I admired. We went to a small public school in the country, where the staff really worked together. I saw little sign of gossiping between them; rather, the teachers supported each other and wanted the best for us kids.

As a young adult, my leadership mentor was Mr Moro, the general manager of the homewares store where I had my first full-time job; I stayed there for four years. With Mr Moro, you always knew he would look out for you and set a solid, ethical example. I respected him as a leader and aspired to match his strong moral principles.