Are you failing as a leader?
I’ve noticed recently as a look at the entrepreneurial space in recent months, leaders are becoming whiners, complainers, and bellyachers. It’s hard to see the rest of the societal narrative of always looking for something to complain about, invading the hearts and minds of some of the strongest leaders, breaks my heart and saddens me.
Scrolling through social media, I see people who are generally upbeat, positive and encouraging others to see the world through a rosier lens take a wrong turn somewhere into the realm passive aggressive, aggressive, and/ or blaming and fingerpointing.
As leaders we are the problems solvers of society.
When we point out the problems we see it is to provide a solution, not to complain. We are constantly looking forward to see and create a better world.
I get that life hasn’t been easy this year, the world is different, and things are uncertain and ever changing. BUT things have ALWAYS been uncertain, challenging and ever changing.
What you think about you bring about.
What you talk about becomes your reality.
Why waste your thoughts and words on anything more than possibility, future casting and problem solving?
Why add to the problems of the world? Enough people do that.
Why state and restate the problems of the world? Everyone is already doing that.
You are not everyone else.
You are a world changer, and you can’t change the world if you are focusing on the wrong things.
The wrong things are:
The things that disempower and discourage
Stating the problem without offering a solution
Being negative, passive aggressive, or sarcastic
You are a leader, as a leader we have to first lead ourselves.
I know how easy it is to give into to noise and the negativity and focus on the small things that do nothing to improve your life or the lives you impact. It’s easy to say “The struggle is real,” and allow the work and toil in growing a business, raising a family, and living life in a changing climate to be so overwhelming you feel like everything you want to do and achieve is impossible or has to be hard.
Nothing in this life is easy, but the perspective we have about the things that happen are a choice.
Leaders do better, and lead.
Dreamers do better, and do.
Dare to be bold enough to think differently, speak differently, and you will create differently.
It’s not always about being positive or always being ra-ra, that’s not realistic, and I’m highly suspect of people who refuse to acknowledge the hard stuff, denial ain’t pretty either.
What I am saying is - Perspective is everything.
It’s ok to go through the thoughts and feelings and pity party phase of the hard stuff happening everyday, for each of us, while still not talking about it, and whining about it before you have had the chance to process through the stuff.
It’s tempting to bond through pain, but that kind of bonding leads to the most toxic and unproductive relationships, businesses, and life experiences.
Make it a rule, to not share the hard stuff with the world- until you have come through it, learned the lesson and can speak from wisdom not whining. Save your emoting for your family and close friends.
As a leader we must speak the truth from wisdom. Wisdom is formed through thoughtfulness, reflection, and experience.
Let me know in the comments if you have noticed the trend of negativity in yourself or the world around you lately. Have you tried to change it?
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