Recently I read an article proposing that the majority of so-called “leaders” today are very good at maintaining the status quo, and that very few are actually demonstrating true leadership by taking a stand, by being creative and innovative, by risking ridicule.
A slim minority of leaders will risk even making a whopper of a mistake – in the name of standing strong for their beliefs.
I suppose managers might succeed by being good at keeping everything constant. But besides being impossible, that doesn’t sound like much fun or healthy for an organization.
If one of your employees is asked, “Well what does your CEO stand for?” I doubt if you want the response to be, “Oh, he’s kept everything pretty much the same as when he came on board.”
After reading about this, I reflected on the courage that it takes to start or acquire a new business. When I talk to entrepreneurs who are in the midst of that decision making process, I hear their fear of entering the darkness of the unknown. That fear, however human and reasonable, is usually a light tone tripping alongside their courage, their drive to lead an organization in their own way.
They have developed a set of beliefs over time. They are eager to take a stand for these beliefs. They want to inspire others to join the experiment, and others are attracted to the excitement, the possibilities, and the hope for positive change. Enthusiasm is alive and bubbly and contagious.
Too often, something happens to that lively enthusiasm before the first or second annual meeting. I’m not sure what forces dampen the enthusiasm, squash the courage and reframe the ambition to strike out in new directions. I imagine that a few are sinister. Some people in the organization – and outside of it – may well be lurking in the shadows just waiting to see the new CEO fail or to see her ideas run into wall after wall.
That can’t be the whole story though. Courage, by definition, rises above the naysayers. So why does it slip away?
In some cases the original trickle of fear may swell and become paralysis. There are all those little demonic voices in our world and inside our heads, voices that feed our fears. Many are even well-meaning. After a tap on the shoulder, “I think you might have upset some board members with your new ideas. Take it slow, huh?” Or, “You should know that’s not the way we do things around here. I’m just telling you for your own good.”
In other cases it can be as simple as energy drain. It takes stamina to stand up to confront the status quo. If fatigue starts feeling like a chain around the limbs, anyone might succumb and decide to “go with the flow” instead of making the choice – again and again – to stand for something new. You may need to renew your energy in whatever way works for you.
Sometimes, I am sure enthusiasm can be suffering from an invasion of self-doubt. Face that nasty little critter, at first with a bit of gratitude. Maybe you are off base, or maybe circumstances you failed to notice have entered the picture and you want to re-examine your belief system.
Begin within as they say.
More likely you just need to affirm your stand. (Maybe that’s why it has become fashionable to renew wedding vows every five years or so.)
Look again at your life experiences and your value system. Are you still committed to making your personal mark in the organization?
If so, you may find encouragement in these words from William Faulkner: “I have found that the greatest help in meeting any problem with decency and self-respect and whatever courage is demanded, is to know where you yourself stand. That is, to have in words what you believe and are acting from.”
You have the choice to create your own brand of leadership. I hope it catches on.
