Lonely Is The Word

"A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. They don't set out to be a leader, but become one by the quality of their actions and the integrity of their intent. In the end, leaders are much like eagles...they do not flock; you find them one at a time." 

- Unknown

What words do you chose to say to your team? How do you behave when you know others are watching? Are you confident, even when you're unsure on the inside? 

What happens when you have to answer for a problem...are you quick to blame others and frantically attempt to deflect any ownership? 

Or, do you own the challenges in front of you, and in so doing demonstrate a level of leadership that your peers can not match?

Which leader are you...the one who plays it safe in the crowd...or the one who leads the crowd?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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What If I Say I'm Not Like The Others

Ahhh...behold the excitement around the arrival of a new leader. The department has been struggling, and now that Knight in Shining Bureaucratic Armor is on the horizon. Woo hoo! Everything will certainly be "fixed" once the new champion of all that is right about management walks through the front door. Seriously!

Is That You?

Have you ever taken a job where you knew there were some "issues" that needed to be addressed? What were the expectations, both the ones you put on yourself, and the ones the organization placed on you? Did you even realize the depth of the situation?

Maybe you told everyone that you were different because you picked up enough clues during the interview process that something wasn't quite right. I bet you had them eating out of the palm of your hand.

Well played...to start.

Time To Deliver
Once you started your new journey as Savior of the Corporation however, things began to change, didn't they? Suddenly the norms, unwritten rules, and impossible to decipher politics of your new corporate life got in the way of your promises of being "different" and "new" and "high energy."

That is the exact time you're supposed to start leading. 

How About You

When you step into a new role do you tell your team that you're not like the others and hope they believe you? Or, do you begin the lonely (read here => required!) journey and start making decisions that prove you're not afraid to take risks, or to change old and ineffective processes so your team and organization can thrive?

They're all watching and waiting for you...

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.





photo credit photo credit

Self Bias Resistor

Sometimes leadership can be a lonely assignment.  Add a few layers of complex relationships, regulatory interference, a host of third party interests, and before long the years are grinding along and you're stuck in the same place.  Let me state for the record that no one deserves to be in "that place."

Lonely = Network-less
Sometimes we come across leaders who, once capable and motivated, have now slipped into a state of perpetual plodding.  Often they don't even realize how far they've fallen until someone reaches out to them.  This is more than the proverbial forest from the trees conundrum; this is about leaders who are literally slipping into irrelevance before our very eyes.  If we know someone who appears to be at such risk, what should we do?  Intervene - and risk insulting them and damaging our relationship?  Ignore - and risk carrying the burden that we might have made a difference had we only taken action?  The answers are not easy, nor should they be taken lightly.

Leaders Take Action
For me the answer is clear - intervene in the most supportive and non-threatening way possible.  But intervene nonetheless.  It's not about saving someone from them self, nor is it about an over active hero-complex.  It's about doing the right thing, which the last time I checked was always the thing to do.

How About You
Who do you know that is heading down the slippery slope of irrelevance?  Sure, they should try to help themselves if they can.  But sometimes that's not so easy.  Can you pinpoint when the passion in their work faded away, and the routine of paperwork, bureaucracy and excuses took over?  It doesn't matter if you can, really.  What matters is what you're going to do next.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.


pic courtesy of mallindesign