The Blog

One of the consistent challenges that I hear many leaders grappling with is this: everyone wants them to solve problems, come up with solutions, know all the answers.

Some might argue that all of these are, in fact, the responsibility of a leader.  To some extent they’d be right. But we do ourselves – and our leaders – a grave injustice when we expect them to have all of the answers, all of the time.

Sometimes, leaders need to stand in silence. Sometimes, leaders do better when they bear witness.

Let me explain.

One of the challenges that is common in the realm of leadership is that of, what I call, “the savior syndrome”. It’s an alluring challenge; and it’s actually a trap. Many leaders fall victim to its seduction. I know; I’ve done it myself.

Here’s what I’m talking about.

You’re at the helm of something (or you’re stepping up to the helm of something): a project, a company, an organization. There’s trouble afoot, and everyone knows it. Moreover, if the problem isn’t fixed, things are doomed.

Here's a bit of a paradox for you to consider:  people often wish that their lives could be richer, fuller, happier, or whatever other superlative seems relevant, yet they resist doing things differently.  Do you see the contradiction?  In case you don't, I'll defer to Albert Einstein who so eloquently said that the definition of insanity is doing what you've always done and expecting something different. 

That's right my friend, you cannot in good conscience expect your life to be different if you're unwilling to try doing something different.  What I call the "you-all-change-while-I-enjoy-the-benefits" mentality only serves to keep you stuck, circling endlessly on the merry-go-round of your life when you really want to be on one of the roller coasters.  If you want things to BE different, it's time for you to DO things differently.

I know, it probably seems bizarre that I would write a leadership article about the holidays. Let me assure you, it’s not. Leadership isn’t a quality or trait that gets put aside during the holiday season. Leadership is something that is required – and is present – through every part of the year, through every part of our lives.

Those of us who hold leadership roles in our professional lives may choose to take more of a follower or ally role in personal contexts – and yet, it’s important to remember that our leadership isn’t a function of role or title. Instead, as I’ve said a kazillion times before (more or less), leadership is about how we choose to be. With this in mind, I want to share a thought with you about navigating and leading through the holiday frenzy that surrounds us as we head into the New Year.

It’s official: the last three weeks of 2017 are upon us.

For many of you, this means that your mind is starting to think ahead to 2018. It’s as though a switch has been flipped and it is officially “Goal-Setting Time.” (And for those of you haven’t yet felt the switch flip, rest assured, it’s going to happen soon!).

In light of this, this time of year lends itself to a review of the concrete, the measureable, the tangible and quantifiable, both in terms of what this past year has brought us, and in terms of what the new year could hold.

The questions that start to get bandied about include things like: