I attended a workshop on Business Success Strategies and Best Practices last week. The teaching was based on common sense strategies with practical application. This was so appreciated because we have all been to workshops and seminars with information that is so bizarre, impossible to achieve, and wonky to implement, we’ve gone away frustrated and irritated. One of the key concepts at this session was: Leadership is Important.
First off, I agree leadership is incredibly important. We need leaders to help us aspire to do more than what we may normally accomplish without that leadership example. We need leaders to encourage us that the days ARE going to get better and we can adapt our thinking while still planning for a bright future. We need leaders to engage with us so we can learn. Those mentor leaders can help save a lot of pain and suffering, saving us from going down what might not be a wise path.
As important as it is to recognize how important leadership is, it is also equally important to acknowledge how hard it is. Leadership can seem overwhelming, lonely, and like you are doing more pushing of people than actually leading them. But I am reminded how making small steps each day in your leadership can bring you farther down the path of experience, influence, and success.
Meet Todd.
Todd is a friend of mine. He was riding his bike on the Sea-to-Sky highway in B.C. when a truck carrying an unsecure load of construction materials struck him. The truck’s load had shifted and basically took out my friend. Todd was laying on the highway broken, bruised, and in a LOT of pain. I’ve read his blog of when this first happened back in August, and I’ve now read how far he has come in his healing and I’m inspired. Even though Todd is living through this suffering, he has put his mind to slowly putting one foot in front of the other (quite literally) experiencing pain and anguish, both mentally and physically.
Sometimes, like healing from an injury, the minutes and moments in leadership can be painful.
But, if you engage in moving forward with intention, you will look back over time and see the gains. I like to journal because it helps me reflect on what I am feeling, and sometimes how far I have come. There are times I look back at some of the painful stuff I have gone through in leadership and come out the other side, and it can be motivating.
Remember, leadership is hard, but leadership is important. You are a leader, no matter your level of influence. Engage intentionally in moving forward. It may seem painful for the moment, but greater successes, personal fulfillment, increased influence, and more engaging experiences will come as a result.