Leading through the heat

As a leader, carving a path of leadership requires nothing more than waking up, getting out of bed, and going to work. It is what a leader does while on that path that distinguishes who they are. Take for instance how a leader responds to adversity. Adversity’s mission is to create shock and awe, and to force a heightened sense of overwhelming anxiety, panic, fear, or frustration. At no other time is a leader more scrutinized than the moment adversity strikes. It will bring out the best or the worst in a leader, simply by the way one reacts or responds. Some leaders become out of control drama dragons spewing flames of anxiety, fear and frustration while burning everything and everyone in their path. Some become the runaway leader, disappearing like an ostrich burying their head in the sand while saying, “I am too busy with something else - you all handle the problem.” In this scenario, everyone else still sees both the problem and the failing leader, which generates trust, competence, and sincerity issues.

Notice, if you will, both behaviors listed above are reactive in nature, meaning the circumstance or problem owns control of the leader. Authentic leaders never react to problems, instead they respond by embracing the problem, troubleshooting the cause, and developing a solution with their people. This is another quality that separates Authentic leaders from the rest. These leaders lead and train people through the problem, not by the problem; they will never give a circumstance or problem what they own as a leader - the responsibility to lead.

Are you still holding the leash, or have you handed it over to the problem?