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Charge Ahead or Leave It Alone

Charge Ahead or Leave It Alone - 1Question: How do we determine when we are to charge ahead as leaders or leave it alone and deal with it another day?

We have all been taught in elementary school that we should not put off a kindness until tomorrow that we can do today.  But what about a tough leadership decision?  Is there ever a situation where we would want to put that off for another time down the road?

Charge Ahead or Leave It Alone - 2When is it right to charge ahead and take the bull by the horns and lead in the midst of a difficult situation?  And when is it right to stand back and leave the issue alone and take a more relaxed and non-confrontational approach?  These are legitimate questions that I put before our audience of leaders and readers.  What are your thoughts?  And how did you make the determination regarding the approach that you would take?  Did you ever consider that taking the relaxed approach was a sign of weakness or indecision?  Did it make the situation better or worse by your decision?

I am facing several interesting and difficult leadership challenges right now and I am seeking advice on how to approach these decisions and on the relative merits of each approach.  I hope that you are gaining valuable insights from our many leaders and readers and I hope that you will share some of your own insights with us.

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Photo credit: Ilweranta / Foter.com / CC BY
Photo credit: Boston Public Library / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

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LEAD – an Acrostic

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Everyone needs an acrostic every now and then to help us remember things or get a better grasp of concepts. So, today I present an acrostic to help us understand better how to lead.

LEAD Acrostic - 1L – Learn – Each of us must invest in ourselves in order to learn how to become a better leader. Although many folks are naturally gifted with leadership traits and tendencies, many are not so gifted. So it is imperative that we each develop ways to learn from other recognized leaders in our contemporary culture. And we must cultivate a good historical knowledge of leaders from our past. Read about leaders such as Jack Welch and George Patton. Do not necessarily get distracted by some of their personal or family foibles. But rather focus on the public leadership that they displayed.

LEAD Acrostic - 2E – Earn – Each of us must earn the right to lead. We must lead in the little things first before we can expect to be given great leadership responsibility. You don’t often make it from the mail room to the board room in a week. But, you will earn the right to lead through time and through trial and error. Unfortunately many in the younger generation have never experienced trial and error. They have grown up in a culture where everyone is a winner. And you are given a ribbon for just participating. The ribbon is conferred upon you and not earned by your efforts. Leadership is earned. Continue reading “LEAD – an Acrostic”