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Why Some Lead and Others Choose Not To

Nov 14, 2016

We criticize our leaders easily, yet few are willing to raise their hands and pay the price that comes with a leadership role. The most effective leaders understand the costs that come with the role and are driven by a higher purpose to help others.
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When you step up to lead …

You take on the weight of all of the problems facing your team or firm.

You recognize the limits of your knowledge.

You don’t know the ultimate implications of your decisions. You know there will be unintended consequences.

You invite intense scrutiny and extreme criticism. Someone is always prepared to disagree with everything you say. Some people will disagree that you are drawing oxygen.

You face resistance, even from your advisors and allies.

You lose friends and gain enemies.

You have no choice but to trust, knowing that some will betray this gift.

You are forced to make decisions that hurt some people in an attempt to help others.

You are surrounded by people but guaranteed to be lonely.

You give away all of your most valuable treasure: your time.

Why lead?

For the treasure? See the comment on time. The rate of exchange is not favorable.

For the glory? That only exists in someone’s mind—it’s illusory.

You lead because you want to help.

You lead to give people hope.

You lead because you believe in something worth sacrificing for.

You lead because you can and others cannot or will not.

The Bottom-Line for Now:

From the battlefield to the boardroom and everywhere else people are called to lead, respect the role and the burden these people bear. Give them your candid opinion during the time for debate, and when a decision is made, link arms and put your sweat into bringing the ideas to life. If you want your turn to do things differently or to do different things, raise your hand and then stand up and start leading. Otherwise, keep rowing.

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