[September 8, 2017] One of the more mundane facts about being in a senior leadership position is that they have greater awareness of the brutal truths of leadership and life than the ordinary person. That, in itself, explains why they have climbed to a higher level and are more likely to remain there as long as they obey the simple rule of leadership; “it ain’t easy.”
Senior leadership is difficult, more than anyone of us who’ve never attained such a position could ever appreciate. When I was an Army Private, it was common for a unit commander to select a low-ranking soldier to be “commander for a day.” I was picked because I was the newest member of the unit and my excitement was evident in my desire to actually make real decisions. Those thoughts were quickly dashed by the heavy paperwork, dealing with a tough higher commander, long hours, staff bickering, and such.
We all know that being a senior leader is the hardest thing a person can ever do but what are the brutal truths that every single leader needs to hear.1
- Your senior position will not make you a better person or happier person.
- Past achievements and successes don’t matter.
- Your behavior speaks loudly so be careful what you say, how you treat others, and who you associate with.
- Your leader skills mean nothing unless you are constantly using them.
- Nobody cares how difficult your life is or how hard you worked to get where you are.
- Your personal goals are meaningless unless they are made clear and executed well.
- Your commitment to your organization and its people will be constantly put to the test.
- Time is your most valuable asset, thus prioritizing is brutally necessary.
- Everything is about other people; your quality of life is of secondary importance.
- You can be replaced at anytime by someone else and without notice or reason.
- Attempts to make everyone happy will fail spectacularly and those attempts will lead to your downfall.
- People will love you simply for your position and others will hate you for the exact same reason.
- Luck plays a greater role in your success than you would expect.
- You will be aggressively accused of things you never did or said.
- What you think and feel is irrelevant unless you can put them into action.
- Nothing matters more than mission success.
- You will make mistakes and excuses are unwise to express openly.
- There are no excuses for failure; absolutely none.
- Your leadership vision will be misinterpreted, maligned, and misunderstood.
- Your desire to improve the position and welfare of others is immaterial without constant success.
- There will be many leadership landmines along the way that people in the know will not tell you about.
- Influence is all you have.
- You can’t do it alone.
- Your image is beyond your control.
- Some day you will no longer be a senior leader and no one will care.
The lesson here is that senior leadership comes with unusual pitfalls that confuse and trap the unwise leader. Not all of these apply to every senior leader every day, of course, but each one of us experiences these regularly and without surprise … yet you can make a difference because leadership is an affair of the heart.
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- Special thanks to Matthew Jones at Inc.com on the inspiration for today’s post on senior leadership.