Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Ten Aspects of Strong Leadership: Point #9

We are nearing the end of the list from Chuck Lauer on important aspects of leadership. But there are still several important points to make.

9) Leadership isn't for everyone

There is a saying that leaders are born and not made. You need to have that intestinal fortitude it takes to deal with the pressures of leading. In my CEO days I can't even recall how many times people came up to me and said, "I sure wouldn't want your job. Its too much stress". Of course this doesn't include the physicians who were convinced that the job was a cake walk and anybody could do it.

Most of those who do not have this inner strength needed recognize that fact and do not pursue a leadership role. Unfortunately there are some who are missing this key element but pursue the career field anyway. They usually get chewed up by the pressures and stress of the job. While no one enjoys the negative and stressful aspects of a leadership position, the strong leaders can cope with these and move on to the more positive aspects.

And that is the other side of being born to lead. Strong leaders derive great internal satisfaction from the accomplishments that a leader can help direct. While doing this he or she remembers that they did not do it alone. I forget the movie where a character says, "I love it when a plan comes together". But that is the satisfaction that a great leader feels. I have felt a strong sense of accomplishment over the years for the things that our team has achieved. This more than offsets the other stresses that come with the job.

Leadership is an opportunity that is also filled with a great deal of responsibility. Strong leaders live for this.

Tomorrow we will wrap up the series on leadership.

Mark Brodeur

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