If it’s true that ‘it’s lonely at the top’, many talented people who aspire to a leadership position might re-think their goals and ambitions.
Former Secretary of State Collin Powell wrote “18 Lessons of Leadership”. The information has been presented in numerous venues, and offers enlightening, thought-provoking ideas from an individual who knew of which he spoke, and who was considered by many to be an individual who will be noted in history as an outstanding and inspiring leader.
We will share a few of these ‘lessons’ from time to time in future PNN editions.
18 Lessons of Leadership
(Adapted from former Secretary of State Collin Powell in collaboration with Michael Korda)
Lesson # 1 - Good leaders sometimes make people unhappy.
Good leadership involves responsibility to the welfare of the group, which means that some people will get angry at your actions and decisions. It’s inevitable - if you’re honorable. Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity: You’ll avoid the tough decisions, you’ll avoid confronting the people who need to be confronted, and you’ll avoid offering differential rewards based on differential performance because some people might get upset. Ironically, procrastinating on the difficult choices, by trying not to get anyone mad, and by treating everyone equally "nice" regardless of their contributions, simply ensures that the only people you’ll wind up angering are the most creative and productive people in the organization.
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