5 THINGS AN AUTHENTIC LEADER NEVER HAS TO JUSTIFY
Leadership should be the best job in the world. You get to shape your team's success and your organisational results. You have more autonomy and agility, but even those can be overwhelming and exhausting in the face of constant comparisons with other people and organisations. The weight of expectations and needing to explain and justify (to anyone) what’s going on quickly leads to burnout, and will not help you to achieve your goals.
Rather than feeling the need to live up to judgey expectations, these are the 5 things you never need to justify in leadership.
1.Setting your personal version of success
Multiple 7 figures and a team of 200 are NOT the only ways to measure success. You get to define personal success on your terms, and exactly how you want it to be.
Success can also mean:
social or environmental impact
income
culture
lifestyle
the health and wellbeing of you and your team
2. Going at a pace that suits you
This whole bigger, faster, further bullsh*t belongs back in the ’80s when it was a thang… Hustle culture generally leads to burnout. And I know you have things outside of your business that deserve your attention too. It’s a minefield! You don’t have to keep up with anyone. Theirs is a different path. Set the pace (and direction) that suits you. As long as you have clarity on and regularly check in on your business’s strategic direction and goals, then you’re okay.
3. Hitting hurdles and sh*t storms along the way
Leadership is hard and can get messy. Of course, there will be times when nothing seems to go according to plan. It’s normal to feel shame, sadness or frustration. What’s important is what you decide to do next. You can reset, rewind or restart anytime you want. Your successful business won’t just spring up overnight after a gentle stroll. Sh*ts gonna get real too. When that happens ask what your best options are. It’s a basic exercise in optimism and a complete game changer.
One more thing — you are not your business. It might feel like it sometimes, but holding that distance is important when you are under pressure.
4. Making mistakes.
For the love of gin and tonics on a summer's afternoon, you will f*ck things up from time to time. That’s okay. It’s so much better to be moving and making mistakes than doing nothing at all and stagnating. Having a learn-fast mentality so you can unf*ck them, innovate, and make everything better will set you apart and get you ahead — on your terms!
5. Killing off the occasional office plant, or spending quite a long time browsing stationery…
I have a lot of experience here, and again, you never have to justify them either! YOu can’t run at 100% all of the time.
As for those judgy unrealistic and inappropriate expectations — the real kicker is that they might be your own. Pay attention to where the judgment is coming from.
I’m in a leadership role too. I know how stressful, full-on and challenging it is. I also know that I love never having to justify these 5 things.
