As I learn more about leadership, I am increasingly interested in the personal as well as professional elements of being a leader. I recently read an article on Harvard Business Review, by Peter Briegman, discussin why so many leadership programmes fail. This section in particular caught my attention:
What makes leadership hard isn't the theoretical, it's the practical. It's not about knowing what to say or do. It's about whether you're willing to experience the discomfort, risk, and uncertainty of saying or doing it.
In other words, the critical challenge of leadership is, mostly, the challenge of emotional courage.
Emotional courage means standing apart from others without separating yourself from them. It means speaking up when others are silent. And remaining steadfast, grounded, and measured in the face of uncertainty. It means responding productively to political opposition — maybe even bad-faith backstabbing — without getting sidetracked, distracted, or losing your focus. And staying in the discomfort of a colleague's anger without shutting off or becoming defensive.
His four foundations for leadership are:
What makes leadership hard isn't the theoretical, it's the practical. It's not about knowing what to say or do. It's about whether you're willing to experience the discomfort, risk, and uncertainty of saying or doing it.
In other words, the critical challenge of leadership is, mostly, the challenge of emotional courage.
Emotional courage means standing apart from others without separating yourself from them. It means speaking up when others are silent. And remaining steadfast, grounded, and measured in the face of uncertainty. It means responding productively to political opposition — maybe even bad-faith backstabbing — without getting sidetracked, distracted, or losing your focus. And staying in the discomfort of a colleague's anger without shutting off or becoming defensive.
His four foundations for leadership are:
- Leadership is context specific
- Leadership is about making choices and taking risky actions
- Leadership is personal
- Leadership is about relationships
Successful leadership is not primarily about what you know – it’s about who you are and how you show up. It’s about courage, empathy and influence. It’s about risk taking, focus and confidence.