A Leadership Idea: Grow Up and Lead

What started as a leadership rant for me is developing into an transforming idea: it's easy to lead when things are going well and a leader is on top but it’s what leaders choose to do when they are at the bottom that defines them.

People are unique. Leadership experiences are too. You are responsible for yours.

Photo credit: iStockphoto

Photo credit: iStockphoto

With this as my premise, I developed a manifesto. About this time last year, you voted my manifesto into the ranks of ChangeThis. The dedicated team at ChangeThis has been working away since then preparing over 190 manifestos for publication and now, it's my turn.

My manifesto, Grow Up and Lead, is live!

It's a work in progress. Even now, I can see how my thoughts have evolved since this first writing. It was difficult to not to take pen to paper and rewrite the whole thing but I wanted to remember where and how it all started.

Ideas come, ideas go and every now and then, I'll see an idea that stops me in my tracks. When it does, it's the perspective or the way the idea is nuanced that resonates with me. If an idea helps me re-frame an assumption or recognize a hidden belief, I am hooked. At the very least, presented well, an idea can be very entertaining.

Take a look at my manifesto and tell me what you think. What resonated with you and what fell flat? Where can I develop it further and where did I get off track? What did I miss? What would you add?

Ideas can define or destroy you.  I vote for define.

By Lisa Rosendahl

The Crabby Truth About Leadership

There is no avoiding the truth about leadership. Leadership is uncomfortable and despite the picture some self-described success stories portray, it is hard.

​iStockphoto

​iStockphoto

Sometimes, it's just plain crabby.​

Leadership causes you to question everything you’ve known about yourself to be true. It keeps you up at night, has you second guessing your actions, replaying your conversations.

​The challenges leaders face are endless: unmotivated workers, disconnected systems, unsupportive management, and unyielding family members.

As a leader, you will challenge the status quo and be questioned. You will question an assumption and be challenged. You will be scrutinized, misrepresented, overlooked, conflicted, debated and opposed. You will notice you are working longer but not accomplishing more, fighting harder to hold your ground, finding fault with others or questioning the value of your leadership and your vision.

You will take business decisions personally or blame all of your woes on another person. You will sulk. You will cry. Your fight or flight response will kick in and you will begin developing your exit (read: avoidance) strategy.

​You will question your decisions, the motives of others and whether leadership is even something worth doing.

Do it anyway.