Leadership and disappointment

As the Man in Black from The Princess Bride says, "Get used to disappointment." We all fail, it's inevitable. It's interesting to watch how leaders handle disappointment. For my example, I'm going to use my father. My dad regularly fixes things and judges the success by how many trips to the hardware store it took (such as, "Well, that was a three-trip job. Yuck."). My dad taught me how disappointment is a normal part of life, and not to get bent out of shape by failure. In fact, failure is an excellent teacher, if you allow it to be. The best leaders recognize this, thrive on it, and teach others not to be limited by it. All that from my dad--that's why he's my hero!

Why bring this up? I've seen over and over how petrified some leaders become when faced with disappointment. Leaders are always in an especially focal spotlight, their choices are dissected by underlings, and constantly second-guessed, yet a leader provides not only authority but guidance. Sure, they don't get everything right--they are human after all and not some super-alien--yet good leaders will wring every last bit of potential out of everyone around them. Leaders are needed to push forward activities, direct the flow of energy, and be the person to blame when it all goes wrong...

I believe anyone can be a leader. The thing to remember is to do your best and have confidence in what you're doing. That doesn't imply perfection, expertise, or even competence (I know plenty of great leaders who are incompetent in areas they manage, but due to great delegation are still effective). Yes, you'll mess things up, but hopefully you'll have more successes the longer you work. So, while you'll be "used to disappointment," you'll also be okay with it, and that's a good thing.

- M