I’m not sure about you, but Michael Jordan was one of my childhood heroes. I read all his books, was an avid (and decent level basketball player in my day) and my early mindset and view of the world was shaped by him and coaches who trained me. So, it wouldn’t surprise you that I have both enjoyed and knew what was coming with the documentary ‘The Last Dance’ on Netflix.
The Jumpman symbol for me has always been a symbol of excellence, not perfection (as anyone who has watched the documentary would know that Michael Jordan wasn’t perfect) and this excellence extended not just to himself but his entire team. He was extreme but there are lessons to be learnt from Michael Jordan.
In Episode 7, the following was said "Winning has a price and leadership has a price. So I pulled people along when they didn't want to be pulled. I challenged people when they didn't want to be challenged. And I earned that right because [other] teammates came after me. They didn't endure all the things that I endured. Once you joined the team, you lived at a certain standard that I played the game. And I wasn't going to take anything less. Now, if that means I have to go in there and get in your ass a little bit, then I did that."
Now you may not agree with everything he said or says in the documentary but what stood out to me is that winning and leadership have a price. This is so true! I have spoken previously about winning mindsets, routines and habits (and the price of being a master of your craft vs job or career) but today I want to talk about the price of leadership.
This is often unseen by those who are not in leadership, overlooked by those who aspire to leadership, underestimated by those who are new to leadership or a cause for burnout for experienced leaders who don’t pay attention to it. (or the leadership capability suffers as a result of neglecting the price to pay and they become lesser versions of themselves)
So what is the price to pay to be a great leader?
Self Discipline!
This is one of the biggest prices to pay as a leader. You cannot grow those around you without first growing yourself and this growth comes through discipline. The self-discipline of a leader requires your energy, time and commitment. Discipline is the continual and daily act of chasing excellence and not settling for the mediocre.
It’s the discipline of continual growth, constant reflection and pushing for the best version of you, your business and each individual in the team.
It’s the discipline of your energy, talents, relationships and health. In my opinion it is all interconnected.
You must set aside at the personal cost of other fun activities to focus on your role as a great leader!
Discipline is a choice you must make each and every day regardless of the conditions, the payment is due everyday. There are no shortcuts.
Constant & Ongoing Development
As a leader you must be willing to continually grow as the organisation will not grow beyond its leader. John Maxwell describes this as the law of the lid. You must be constantly pushing yourself and your boundaries to in turn push those of the leaders and your team. The price of leadership (and your dream) is high and always uphill. As a successful leader you can never coast. You must be looking to the horizon and constantly connecting the dots to take your team to the next level.
So where should you be looking to grow? I will cover this in more detail in an upcoming blog, (Growth Buckets) but in brief I believe you should be considering growth as a leader across the following areas:
Leadership and influence
You strength areas
Your organisation’s core business (in my arena this is sales, relationships, marketing, etc)
Attributes of your organisation’s business you want to improve (external and internal)
Time
Time is one of, if not the biggest cost you will have to pay as a leader. Your role will never be 9-5. There is an accessibility required of you as a leader from your team and customers. You will be always on. In my opinion successful leaders are constantly evaluating their team, the business, considering the future, making change, investing in themselves and others.
The amount of time spent out of the office is considerable. Personally, I have had many early mornings, evenings and weekends spent reviewing where we are at or where an individual is at so that I can lead, invest and consider what we can do to take them to the next level.
Vision doesn’t come out of nowhere, the path forward is often unclear and it is your role as a leader to spend the time to bring clarity to your vision and direction so that you can inspire your team moving forward.
Failure & Hard Decisions
At the end of the day you will be responsible for the tough decisions. You will succeed, and you will fail and often fail more than you succeed. That is the price of leadership. People will talk about your failures but often overlook the successes and that is ok. That is the price you will pay. Failure is the price of growth, failure is the price of success.
As a leader you are responsible for hard decisions, and sometimes there is not an outcome that will benefit your entire team. You will need to serve the team around you and be prepared to make the call (in line with your values) that you believe is right for everyone. It is your responsibility to communicate these decisions effectively, with transparency and own the consequences of any decision you make.
Great leaders do not shy away from this.
A great example of this is the current COVID situation – as leaders this has been a new situation for us all! Have we been able to consider previous downturns (GFC, Dotcom bubble, Y2K) and their impact to guide our decisions? Sure, but the ferocity of the downturn, the broader impact to the economy and individuals is something we have not seen before. No leader wants to let staff go or reduce hours, no leader wakes up facing decisions that either way don’t seem favourable, but that is what you signed on for and the price must be paid.
The Shadow You Cast (always on display)
An old boss of mine mentioned this in the early days on my path to leadership. Beware of the shadow you cast. The shadow you cast (as both a leader, aspiring leader, or a performer in your team with influence) should not be taken lightly.
As a leader you are always on display whether you like it or not. People are watching your actions, your body language, and looking to your example more than they are listening to your words.
They care more about what you do than what you say and they are looking for signs that you truly value them, are committed to them (and the organisation) and that you live the values you claim to have.
You are the culture, the tone and the team you have around you are ultimately a reflection of what you see in the mirror. They will follow the example you set and the behavior you display and reinforce.
Not Always Being Liked
Leadership is not a popularity contest. You will make decisions that upset people. Not everyone will share your vision, your drive, your view of the world.
Not everyone will understand the decisions you make as they don’t have access to all the data points. They have their perspective and may not be privy to all the factors that brought you to a decision. People will critique you (often behind your back) as opposed to voicing their disapproval in person, regardless of the openness or transparency you have in your culture.
Your role is not to be liked, it is to lead. You should lead with integrity, take input from the team, set the example and display the value you stand for, but being liked doesn’t come with the territory. (that is a bonus if you are lucky) Being liked shouldn’t be one of your metrics, staff retention, attraction, creating a great culture, having a compelling vision, growth of the business, growth of the team members around you – they should be the metrics!
Everything Rises and Falls On Leadership
At the end of the day it all starts and ends with you as the leader. The team is a reflection of your leadership, your standards, your expectations. Your role as a leader is to inspire the team behind the vision, help them in crafting the path forward, to remove roadblocks and set the example. You are fully accountable for any failure, should learn from it and continue to drive growth. When you’re successful you should pass this all to the team. That is the price of leadership
So it it all worth it?
The personal cost is high. This is the biggest area to consider as you move to leadership. If you are called to lead, passionate about serving others (and making them the best version of themselves) then you won’t notice the cost.
If you see leadership as positional, all about power, all about you, all about being the master, all about ‘making it’, or think you can get to the position of leader and coast, then the personal cost will be a struggle for you.
So is it worth it? This depends on the individual leader, what drives you? What sets you alight? Why do you lead?
I believe it is all worth it! Those who are called to leadership and passionate about leadership could find a long list for why they do what they do. I will keep it brief; here are some of the reasons why I believe it is all worth it: I will blog further on why I lead in detail the future 😊
Building a company and culture that has integrity, high standards, supports each other, demands growth and overpromises and overdelivers to our customers
Seeing my team transform into the best version of themselves and be the best team they can be
Seeing individuals grow to new levels of success, (often that they didn’t think was possible) progress into new roles and achieve both within our organisation or externally
Serving the team and organisation to maximise outcomes, drive innovation
At the end of the day, I love seeing others succeed and believe that with the right leadership you can drive the culture, mindset, processes and tools to build an organisation that fosters success – both for its customers and it’s people.
I am personally invested in the success of each of my team members and see it as my responsibility to help them be successful and go to the next level whether within our business or in their next venture externally.
What’s the price of your leadership? Is it worth it?
Share your thoughts below.
This article is originally published at www.matthewcossens.com/blog/
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