It seems more than ever we are enamored with the idea, or should I say, ideal of leadership. More books, podcasts, and conversations are held about leadership than ever. And yet leadership is far less complicated than we might think. And for that very reason, multiple leaders and maybe even you, are at risk.
Leadership is about the leader. I know that flies in the face of conventional wisdom. But here’s what I mean. Leaders lead from within, eventually. Yes, we may adopt tactics, styles, and strategies of leaders we admire, but leadership is dome in the trenches every day, over time, where the routine grinds us down to our real essence.
That’s why leaders who hide behind the latest fad are always at risk. Why? It’s because leadership is about projecting and extending into a movement or organization, what you are. If you are empty, mad, and burnt-out on the inside, more than you know, that’s exactly what you are reflecting on the outside.
So more than ever, we must give attention not to leadership, but to the leader. As leaders, we have a long journey ahead of us. Our well-being, our health is key to the health and success of our movements.
Leaders are notorious for going so fast, and doing so much that they ultimately self-destruct. You’re at risk of that too. And if you think you’re not, you’re even more at risk than you know.
So here is the greatest risk you face today as a leader. It’s not your organization. It’s not market forces. It’s not even the deadbeat employees that you’re trying to get rid of. It’s you. As long as you are healthy, vital, vibrant, and growing; as long as you’re passionate to the core about what it is you’re doing, you and your movement can face any storm, and can navigate any sea change. Short of that, before long, you’re going to be dead.