One Act of Courage: Owning Your Role as Leader

Leadership has never been more difficult. Even with all of the books, seminars, experts, and resources available, leading self and others in today’s time is more complex today than it was a half century ago. Unfortunately, the level of complexity and difficulty will continue to increase as time goes by.

Here’s why: If leadership is about anything it is about alignment, and alignment is about focusing energy. It is becoming extremely difficult to focus energy. First you must focus your own energy before you can focus the energy of your team. What makes focusing energy increasingly more difficult is the advancement of technology and rapid speed with which change happens. Because of this, the most sought after leadership qualities of the future will be clarity, focus, discernment, and self-discipline.

There’s always a competing priority, or as I would say, a sparkling island vying for your attention. There’s always the temptation to make decisions that are self-serving, for example avoiding a difficult conversation so you can stay comfortable in your position. There’s always the possibility of getting drawn into the drama because you took the juicy bait and got entangled in the gossip and drama. Then there’s the distraction of social media. Let’s check out Facebook one more time before working on that project. If it’s difficult for you, think how difficult it is to lead others to the island!

Clarity, focus, discernment, and self-discipline cannot be learned in a half day workshop, retreat or self-study system. In fact, these “skills” really can’t be taught. They must be developed over time.

Developing clarity, focus, discernment, and self-discipline is accomplished by doing your inner work. You can get someone to do your paperwork, but you have to be the one to do your inner work.

You can get someone to do your housework, but only you can do your inner work. You can hire someone to redecorate your office, do the payroll, or conduct the meeting, but you can’t hire someone to do your inner work.

Your inner work starts by claiming your values, and continuing to course-correct until you walk equals you talk. Make no mistake if you are doing your inner work your values will be tested. In fact, if your values aren’t tested at least once, they aren’t real values.

Inner work requires an investment on your part. You must invest your time and energy. Very often you must invest in mentoring, or coaching. Yet the coach can only support your growth.

Yes, leadership is an act of courage.

Courage requires you to look in the mirror instead of looking out the window, because looking out the window gives you every excuse to fail.

When you look out the window you say, “Our employees are not engaged.” You may have evidence to support your claim.

When you look out the window you say, “There is not budget” The numbers don’t lie.

When you look out the window you say, “They didn’t give me leadership training.”

This is probably true.

But when you stop looking out the window and you start looking in the mirror you say, “This is me.”

I am a leader. What are my choices? What is my next step? You get clear. You focus your attention. You discern fact from fiction. You create a new reality by focusing the energy of the team. You model self-discipline. You execute.

Leadership is an act of courage.

Excerpted from 7 Ways to Stop Drama in Your Healthcare Practice by Marlene Chism.