John Muir - Leadership Marked By Passion

John Muir, the celebrated preservationist, was a man marked by passion. As one of the founders of the Sierra Club, John Muir used his passion for nature to lead others in a pursuit of preserving million of acres of land for the enjoyment of generations of Americans.

What marked John Muir’s ability to lead so many to help in his cause? I venture to say it was his passion, credibility and knowledge that helped lead him to a place of prominence and power in the early days of preservation. Clearly in my mind, it was his passion that took the forefront.

According to book The Leadership Challenge, one of the primary responsibilities of a leader is to “create an environment where people are passionate about what they’re doing” (James Kouzes and Barry Posner, 2007, The Leadership Challenge, p. 130). John Muir was surely a master at creating this type of environment through sharing his passion with others. He also had the ability to bring to life the vision and value of natural settings, especially since these visions were initially dormant in many of his followers. Muir had one of the established qualities of a leader, to “connect to what’s meaningful to others” (James Kouzes and Barry Posner, 2007, The Leadership Challenge, p. 134).

All people are passionate about something in life. So what made John Muir so special that he could influence millions to take up his cause for natural preservation? Wouldn’t we all love to have that same passion for something in life that others would take up our cause and follow?

While starting his life with little direction or purpose, a passion for nature did not occur until his first class in botany at the University of Wisconsin-Madison at the age of 22 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir). This class sparked an interest which would last a lifetime and yielded the preservation of such locations as Yosemite National Park and countless other parks throughout the United States.

As the case in many successful lives, part of John Muir’s passion came from tragedy. At the age of 28, he was working at a sawmill when a sharp file pierced his eye and a possibility of losing his eyesight appeared probable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir). After spending nearly a month in a darkened room and his eye almost completely healed, Muir went for a walk in nature. When he returned from that walk, he became determined to be true to himself and spend his life in the study of plants (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir).

So is tragedy necessary to be a great leader with passionate pursuits? Probably not, but for John Muir, it was tragedy that ignited a passion that lasted a lifetime. His leadership in the area of preservation allow the current generation and generations to come the opportunity to appreciate the natural beauties of this country. May the fruits of our leadership yield similar good.