The Blog

It’s Valentine’s day – almost – which is a day devoted to the celebration and acknowledgement of love, particularly of the romantic variety. It’s a nice thing. And, in my opinion, it skews the concept of love away from a very important person.

You.

I know. This is supposed to be a space devoted primarily to leadership and its related issues. So why on earth would I talk about LOVE of any sort?

Well, because what I know for sure – and what I continue to be reminded of – is that love is important. And for those of us who are leaders, our ability to love OURSELVES is essential. It’s not a luxury; it’s a necessity.

In recent months, corporate demand for the leadership training that I offer has increased. From my perspective, this is a great thing and I am embracing the opportunities with immense gratitude. Feedback has been that the impact of these training and coaching sessions is increased effectiveness and renewed enthusiasm within leadership structures and approaches. 

In many cases the training is offered as a mandatory session for leaders. The intention is to ensure that all members of the leadership teams in question receive the same information, and have the same opportunity to work and grow together. This in turn leads to consistency across a corporate culture, when those in attendance go out and lead their teams.

For the most part, this approach is effective and well-received. There is, however, one proverbial fly in the ointment. This particular fly – a mindset employed by some leaders – can often detract from the potential effectiveness, if not derail it altogether.

Leadership. As a concept, it’s something most of us admire and many of us aspire to. While we may not aspire to lead on a grand stage, shying away from politics or committees, there’s still a way that we want to be seen as being smart, savvy, inspiring, and “follow-worthy” if you will. 

Parents want their children to look up to them; bosses want their teams to follow them; change-makers want folks to shift their viewpoints to align with them. Leaders, generally speaking, want to stand out, stand apart, and be seen as being great.

Sometimes, however, it can be hard to understand what actually makes a leader GREAT.  In my experience, greatness in leadership boils down to a critical TRIFECTA of qualities: INTENTION, IMPACT, and ACCOUNTABILITY. Let me explain:

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.