You may have a job as a leader but that’s not a fixed state.
Leadership is not a destination. It’s certainly not a place.
Leadership is not a trophy to put on the wall or a badge to wear.
Leadership is a journey.
It’s an important journey that often starts long before a position or title is gained.
It starts without knowing it in childhood and youth. At school, in sport or other social groups. In the playground.
In the family.
A Leadership Journey isn’t like modern travel.
We can buy a ticket to almost anywhere and know we will get there and when.
Guaranteed.
Our leadership journey is really an exploration into the unknown.
There’s a lot we don’t know when we start.
There’s a lot we don’t control.
We might have a destination in mind but there’s a good chance we’ll end up somewhere else.
We’ll encounter danger and difficulties along the way.
The ship we’re on might suddenly change course and take us to an unexpected place.
Or it might sink.
We might not survive!
The point is not to obsess about failure but to realize that our journey is not guaranteed and will involve hard work.
Looking back on such a journey is always easier than looking forward.
This is not a luxury cruise where others will bring you everything.
You’ll have to climb the mast or even man the pumps.
If you finish your career without difficulties – congratulations!! You’re fortunate, and definitely in a minority.
Don’t misunderstand us – your leadership journey should be enjoyable and rewarding.
You’re not literally surrounded by freezing ocean…! (well, most of us aren’t..)
As you travel you should learn – always by doing, by practice.
Through difficulties and by making mistakes you’ll learn and grow, and open the way for others to come after you.
“…your leadership journey is really an exploration into the unknown…”
So long as you’re prepared.
The first part of that preparation is to realize this is a journey and not a reward.
When you do that your perspective shifts.
The second is to ask some leadership questions. Why am I doing this? What should I focus on? How will I succeed? Where will I stand?
In our last post we tried to answer the first question – Why am I doing this?
Our answer is because it’s important – to your team, your organization, the world.
Next week we ask “what should I focus on?”
Welcome to an important journey.
Remember you’re a Leader, and you’re taking others with you.
Hopefully it will be rewarding , but also a little difficult..