In our society, it seems like being a leader is supposed to be like being a parent-you’ll figure it out when you need to. The analogy goes further, we instinctively copy how our parents parented unless it was terrible and we then do the opposite. In business, we copy what we’ve seen that seemed to work, or just do what we are comfortable with and we do NOT do what we didn’t like in our past.
The problem with that as a leader, just as it is as a parent, is the organization like the child may need something very different than that with which we are comfortable. To be a great leader means to stretch and to be uncomfortable. Sometimes, we have to pretend that everything is okay, when we are very scared that it is not. Sometimes we have to move with greater urgency, or without all the data. When the company future is at stake, to stay with what is comfortable may be a disaster.
It is a hard role. If you don’t lead, the organization may flounder in dysfunction. Or, the outside world will change beyond your ability to keep up. Intuitively, you know there are steps you need to take right now, that you are dithering on. What is one leadership move you could make this week for the benefit of your team?
picture courtesy of www.urbangospelmission.com