How to Sleep Nights

Good leaders worry about their people. Good leaders worry about their part in employee dilemmas. Good leaders lose sleep at night.

I don't know about you, but I hate conflicts at work. I, like the Chief Happiness Officer, have come to realize that conflicts are inevitable. The very best and most efficient workplaces are not the ones without conflict, he says, but those who handle conflicts constructively. For me, handling conflicts constructively = resolution. Now, how often does that work for you? Knowing that it doesn't work that way (it should, shouldn't it?) doesn't make sleep come any easier for me.

So, what's a good leader to do?

Jean A. Hollands, the author of Red Ink Behaviors, offers this advice: good leaders will sleep well if they plant a seed. Good leaders will sleep well if they remember that they, too, are only human. Good leaders will sleep well if they do the best that they can;have their own support team;and appreciate their own courage.

Good leaders want to make it right. Good leaders, even the best leaders, can't always do that.So, plant a seed. Have a good night sleep and come back at it in the morning. Or not.

Originally posted May 2008 and reposted now, well because, it was exactly what I woke up thinking about this morning. Funny how things run in cycles. I wonder if I should reread my June and July 2008 posts as a crystal ball of sorts to see what is coming back around for me in the next few months of 2009! Wait, does this mean that I am utterly and hopelessly predictable?! Say it isn't so . . . .

True Leaders

In the face of abundance, departments grow, resources flow and leaders abound. Leaders happily provide direction, set goals and align resources. In the face of adversity, however, when providing direction, setting goals and aligning resources becomes critical to the bottom line ability of an organization to survive and people to thrive, leadership can be in such short supply.

Take a Look Around

Take a look at leadership interactions occurring right now within your organization. What do you see? Do you see proactive problem solving and collaboration? Do you see resources being shared and priorities being reestablished? Do you see voluntary reassignment of work, identification of non-critical functions and thoughtful give-and-take conversations? Or do you see something very different?

There is a distinction between encumbering a leadership position and providing leadership and, in the face of adversity, the difference can be painfully clear.

The Squeeze Is On

A leader's true colors show when times are tough. Organizations do not need people in leadership positions who duck and hide, wait to see what others are willing to do before they share their options, or who staunchly defend their department, function, or role over all others. Nor does an organization need those who are reactionary, defensive or unwilling to accept responsibility and accountability.

What does an organization need? The hr bartender captured what is needed when she wrote:

"What we need right now is calm, level-headed leadership. And, as a leader, the last thing you should be doing right now is passing blame."

True Leaders Emerge

Leadership is tough in good times and that much more difficult in the face of adversity. There will be disagreements, tense moments and lots of give-and-take. There will be changing plans, shifting priorities and resistance of others. There will be good decisions, there will be bad decisions and very few decisions will be easy. Leadership is not nirvana. Leadership is engagement. 

Take a look around and notice the ones who are engaged - those are your true leaders.