Leadership - Letting go
Letting go
Leadership means dedication to loss
In order to reach the top it will come as no surprise that you will have to sacrifice some aspects of your life.
The biggest sacrifice you will have to make is the loss of your own position.
This might seem strange that to be successful you must loose your own position but it is true.
The ultimate leader is the one who trains another to take over from himself or herself.
Everyone will have a time to go for all sorts of reasons:
- Eventually you will die.
- You may want to move on from one position to gain experience in another area.
- Having achieved your vision you may wish to leave at the top once you have groomed another to take your place.
Note this sort of dedication is not the same as being a ‘workaholic’ although there is a fine line.
The workaholic is running to stand still.
- He has no system.
- No time management skills.
- No delegation skills.
- He has no life.
- He has no vision.
He or she desperately needs help.
Once you have reached your peak it is likely to mean additional effort to remain there.
Accountability
When you become a leader you can no longer focus on your own benefits.
You will have accountability for others that must be fulfilled.
The higher you go the further this pendulum swings away from you and over to others.
Responsibility can be delegated but accountability can not.
This can be a particular burden in the political arena where Presidents, Prime Ministers, and Royalty are watched wherever they go.
In some cases, an individual will pay the ultimate price for this leadership, for example, Martin Luther King who was assassinated for his beliefs.