My football team lost yesterday...again. As my wife and kids can attest, I get into football. My daughter often reminds me that the players can’t hear me when I rant at the television.
Replaying the game in my mind, I made an interesting observation. My frustration with the game was not so much the broken coverages, the dropped passes, the lack of offense, etc. What really got me was the way the quarterback (and others) hung their head when things were not going well.
Now I know it is easy to play “armchair quarterback”, but even I know that when the head goes down, defeat is at the doorstep. Energy and hope ebb away. What the other players need is for the leaders to have their heads up, fighting until the end, not giving up.
As these thoughts rolled around in my head, another thought came to mind. Maybe why I was so frustrated with the “head down action”, is that I was seeing myself in the mirror. I don’t face blitzing linebackers or dropped passes. My challenges are unbalanced budgets, unmet expectations, tough decisions, sick kids, unexpected bills....the list goes on.
At those times, whether I am leading an organization, a family, or a company, my response to the pressure or near defeat, will impact those I lead. If the head goes down, so does the spirit of the team. If the head is up and focused on the challenges, the team just might believe there is a chance...hope returns.
Where’s your head today?
26 September 2011
23 September 2011
More Bad News
As I picked up my copy of the Wall Street Journal from the sidewalk this morning, I was struck by the large front page headlines screaming of economic gloom and doom. More bad news for the markets, unrest in numerous countries, low wages, more poverty, etc.
Wow, what a sunny way to start the day. And the challenges are not just globally or nationally but in our cities, our organizations, our families.
The question struck me. How do we lead in the middle of times like these? I believe as leaders we often find ourselves straddling reality and hope.
On one hand, our job is not to nonchalantly dismiss the truth of our situation, sugar coating what is. One of the roles of a leader is to communicate what is true....the reality of the situation. But the challenge is not to get stuck there.
Leaders must bring hope. Not empty promises. Not shallow reassurances.
Instead, they need to communicate what could be....reasons to push through current reality.....what is on the other side if we roll up our sleeves, work together, exercise faith, and move “from here to there.”
So....how will you bring hope today in the places you lead?
