Leadership can be challenging.
It is challenging to recognize your own leadership.
We do not become leaders by magic. There is no automatic process, no external sign to tell you that you are a leader. We become leaders individually, from the inside out.
The leaders who inspire me come from the least likely places. They learn by trying, trying again, growing, and gaining wisdom. It takes a lot of hard work.
Much of that work is done within themselves.
Leadership often means challenging people’s expectations.
In addition to challenging their own expectations, leaders challenge the expectations of others.
Some of the greatest leaders in history have been underestimated or misinterpreted; Lincoln, Gandhi, Mandela. The people around them did not expect them to accomplish very much. Each of them, no matter how unlikely, contributed in ways that changed how we understand the world.
The leaders who inspire me find the inner strength to exceed what other people expect of them. The deep work they do to know themselves well gives them the resources to transform our expectations and lead from their core values.
Leaders challenge us to do more than we think we can.
The leaders who inspire me transform our expectations of ourselves. They help us see ourselves more clearly. They help us recognize and appreciate our own potential.
The leaders I remember convince me that I can do more than I think I can. They challenge my understanding of what is possible and what is not. They show me that I have strength beyond what I had imagined.
Leadership can be very challenging.
The more positive challenge a leader has brought to working with me, the more rewarding their leadership has become.
Where is your greatest leadership challenge today?
How do you challenge the people around you to bring out their best?
[Image by Tambako the Jaguar]
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