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Thursday, November 10, 2005

Confession of a failed leader #2

11. I can’t lead because eventually I will steal from my followers.

12. I can’t lead because I’m too proud to ever be wrong.

13. I can’t lead because I am rarely able to distinguish the difference between what is right and what I believe.

14. I can’t lead because I insist on making clones of myself.

15. I can’t lead because I resent people who think everyone should be clones of themselves.

16. I can’t lead because I have no idea how to measure risk.

17. I can’t lead because, even if I did know how to measure risk, I prefer to let someone else make the hard choices.

18. I can’t lead because I hear complaints as personal attacks.

19. I can’t lead because I am too busy defending myself.

20. I can’t lead because I am too likely to walk away with my reward without regard for what happens to my followers after I am gone.

4 comments:

Beaner said...

Aren't you a marriage counselor? I'm reading this post more tongue-in-cheek, but if you're serious, how does that affect your job?

Fajita said...

Beaner, good question. Very good question. It's not so much tongue and not so much cheek. Perhaps a bit of hyperbole, but not as much as I'd like for it to be.

It does nothing to impact my job. Since it does nothing to my job, I must qualify what I mean by leadership. When I am one on one with people, I do very well. When I am working to lead organizations, all of my worst qualities show up.

So, one might say, "OK dude, you know your limits. Stick to the one-on-one stuff." I agree as much as I can with that, but I cannot just go all the way with it. Sometimes we must do that which we don't like or feel inadequate to do.

What I wonder is if my feelings about leadership of an organization is me being a wimp because every leader struggles with the same things or if I am just not good at it. I don't know.

But as for the counseling - I am more at home in the therapy room than any other place I have been (worwise that is).

Bethie Marie said...

regarding #19....

"In my defenselessness, my safety
lies." (ACIM)

These posts about leadership inadequacy remind me of Moses, asking God,
"Why me, Lord?"

Why not you? If you are depending totally on God, the results are not YOUR responsibility.

Donna G said...

Hmmmm, I think I need that site for the depressed people......