Learning from other transitions & leaders: 6 key concepts

In 2009, LoriAnn Lowery-Biggers, then president of Lloyd’s North America, had a tough decision to make as to whether to stay with Lloyd’s in New York City, or resign her post to be back with her family in Dallas, Texas. (Read more.) 

Now, the CMO for The Navigators Group, Inc., Lowery-Biggers recently had a Q&A with Propel magazine about lessons in leadership.  

WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU ABOUT LEADERSHIP?

The biggest surprises in leadership for me have developed from six key concepts:

There is a significant difference between managing and leading. Managing is functional, but leading is relational.
The higher you go in leadership, the more of a servant you should become. You have to approach your position and people with the perspective that you are there to serve them and your stakeholders. 
Effective delegation can release you from being involved in every bit of minutia.
There are a lot of proverbial “balls” in the air to juggle. Successful leaders can identify and prioritize which ones are crystal and which are rubber, but great leaders catch the crystal and let rubber ones bounce.
There is a difference between a reaction and a response to a circumstance or setting. Those around you will always be watching, and as leaders we set the tone for how they will also operate.
A little bit of a toxic environment can be hugely corrosive to any culture.