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Leadership Truth #7 - Great Leaders Believe Work is Play

Guest post by: Robert Whipple

Article Overview: Have you ever noticed that the best leaders actually have fun at work? It really is allowed to create an environment where the good times outnumber the bad times. There are some gifted leaders who have discovered this concept.

Leadership Truth #7 - Great Leaders Believe Work is Play

Since great leaders are moving with the wind, they have a continual sense of wonderment and enjoyment. They exist in a world full of potential and possibilities, rather than in an upwind battle where they must execute brilliantly, even when they see no freedom or hope of success. Does this characteristic relegate downwind leaders to being Pollyannas? Not at all! The ability to view the whole march of their professional existence as a game does not mean all elements of it are rosy or happy. It simply means that they are having more fun creating their destiny than spending time griping about how their destiny sucks.

Leaders are much stronger in the "fight" mode of existence than the "flight" mode. When leaders expend their precious energy running away from problems or trying simply to comply with the myriad of demands and needs set down by numerous sources such as the government, their BOD, their stakeholders, and even their families, the light of creativity and joy is snuffed out. That is where the term "burnout" gets used.8 You pour all your fuel into keeping today's fires burning, and once they kindle, there is no sustaining force for the future. Life is just no fun. Unfortunately most leaders experience this kind of mindset daily. After a while, work is a drag and all the wonderful things the leader set out to do become misty memories. Pain and exhaustion replace joy and innovation.

Contrast this picture with the leaders who revel in their problems. Each one is a unique opportunity to demonstrate the greatness within, if it just can be managed properly. Ah, what a wonderful thing it is to have a never-ending stream of problems, because when the stream stops, it is time to call the funeral home.

Viewing the challenge of dealing with difficult issues by looking for the good rather than loathing the bad is not foolhardy. It is the mindset that allows our best energy to be applied where it will make a difference every day. It is the rapture of finding a creative solution that allows a win-win approach to what was shaping up to be a death struggle.

Great leader's appetites for finding the right solutions to problems are insatiable. The jag they get when successfully steering their ship through the rocks and rapids that would sink them is the adrenaline that keeps them pumped for the next challenge. "Bring them on - we can solve any problem" is the mantra of the great leader.

Equally important as finding brilliant solutions is how the leader reacts when he or she fails. Life is simply a series of successes and failures, but the truly great leaders see something different. They see an endless string of opportunities to learn. That doesn't mean they do not hurt when they blow it. Of course they feel badly when the team is let down or they just look plain dumb. It happens often. If you are not generating enough mistakes, you are not living up to your true potential. The difference is that great leaders enjoy the high moments so much that the pain of the failures is a small price to pay; besides they often have a way of thinking about things in the most favorable terms (some call this rationalization). I love the quote from the famous football coach, Vince Lombardi who said, "We never lost a game. It's just sometimes we ran out of time."

There is a danger when rationalization is taken to an extreme. We all know leaders who refuse to fail at anything. They will simply invent some logic that says they did not fail at all. Pushed to an extreme, this pattern becomes annoying to people, and the leader begins to lose credibility. It is important to have a good honest failure every once in a while, to admit it publicly, and grieve together.

This is where most politicians fail the leadership test I am discussing. How many times have you heard a politician get up and say, "I was wrong on that concept. I really did not do enough research before making up my mind." It would be a cold day in Kansas if you ever heard those comments from someone up for election. I contend it would be unique and refreshing enough that people just might elect the poor soul.

Readers may interpret the above section as pie-in-the-sky optimism and not credible in the real world. I am not trying to imply that good leaders do not have tough or depressing days. Far from it! Good leaders struggle at times just like everyone else. The world is a complex place, and the challenges of a leader in today's economy require incredible judgment and courage. Disappointments and failures are frequent. Even with all the characteristics of greatness, all leaders have rough choppy waters to navigate at times. What I am saying is that the best leaders seem to cut through the waves more cleanly and quickly. They keep the boat afloat no matter how turbulent the wind and regain a stability and control sooner than their counterparts who do not follow the precepts of the downwind leader.

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Article Tags: emotional intelligence, Leadership, passion, Trust, values



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