Leadership is hard. It’s frustrating, and it takes dedication many don’t appreciate. Like most things, until you’ve lived it yourself, it’s easy to underestimate how hard being a good leader is.
Until you’ve lived it yourself, it’s easy to underestimate how hard being a good leader is.
Why am I talking about how hard leadership is now? Because I’m seeing several really good leaders forget that leadership is a long game. It requires intention. It requires focus. And, more than anything, it requires consistency.
Leadership requires intention. It requires focus. And, more than anything, it requires consistency.
When times are looking bright, team members look to their leader for guidance, access to information, and direction. When times are challenging, team members look to their leader for guidance, access to information, and direction. Team members want consistency. They want calm guidance, they want access to their leader and information, and they want prioritized direction. They want their leader to demonstrate that there is a path forward and that – though there may be unknowns ahead – the leader will keep them informed, safe, and moving forward. They want consistent guidance, information, and direction. As their leader, you need to provide what they need – consistently, whether you want to or not.
Leading well intentionally over two or three quarters is great. However, that’s nothing in the grand scheme of things. Modeling strong leadership behaviors over two or three quarters, but then getting lax in the next quarter isn’t smart leadership. It’s dangerous. It highlights your lack of focus and commitment, and it’ll trigger team members to disengage more firmly than before.
Leadership is hard, so don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Remember: Leadership is a long game. To do it well, you need to stay committed to being a leader your team can look to for guidance, information, and direction – whether you feel like providing it or not.
Liz Weber is an advisor to boards of directors, business owners, and C-Suite leaders. She’s a leadership, strategic and succession planning consultant, speaker, and author. She helps her clients focus on the right things at the right times to get the right impact. Learn more about Liz on LinkedIn!
