“…there was little in the way of precedent…” From Leadership: Lessons from the Presidents for Turbulent Times by Doris Kerns Goodwin
This little snippet of a quote from one of today’s premier American Presidential historians goes straight to the heart of what leaders face today, every day—being called upon to make decisions regarding situations they have never encountered before. And therein lies one of the most essential abilities of a leader today—getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Fluid and dynamic are words on the verge of becoming cliché in describing today’s business environment. So, what’s the message here? It’s simple. It has never been more important for leaders to be curators of talent, rather than taking the lead in every situation that arises. There are too many moving parts today for any one person to have a grasp of everything they need to know in order to lead. This where trust—vulnerability-based trust—plays a big role in creating a sense of team cohesion and creating an environment, where challenges without precedent are not feared, but used as a galvanizing force to identify team-based solutions and leverage the power of the collective mind of the team. Vulnerability-based trust is a powerful liberator of talent and, sadly, not employed that frequently today. Still fighting to stay in your comfort zone?
Good luck on your journey!
