Leading Leaders, Facing Challenges
Having worked in multiple countries and settings, I’ve learned that there are all types of leaders that lead other leaders.
When you are building a community, it is important to understand that you may find those that are leaders in their own path, but not leaders for the community.
Most leaders face challenges as they arise. If you have no problems, you have no life or you are not big enough. So having problems is key — you don’t want too many, but having some is also key.
What I have learned is there are:
- Leaders that will face challenges head on, admit their mistakes, and figure out a way to overcome or learn from them. Sometimes you can’t overcome the challenge but you can learn from it.
- Leaders that are willing to face a challenge at some level but choose to go in a different direction or escape in order to avoid the challenge.
I won’t say right or wrong, good or bad, but I will say this: Those who face the challenges and learn from them are usually leaders that build communities.
Those that run away from challenges are usually looking to lead somebody anywhere anytime, but are not necessarily building community.
As you continue to lead within your community, and when you begin leading other leaders, think about the impact of the choices you make when you decide to face or avoid:
- The challenges at hand
- The mistakes you might have created
- The challenges you have imposed or created by your style or decisions
It’s not about taking blame or being right or wrong. It is about understanding that we all face challenges and make mistakes. What we choose to do about it and how we react is what makes leaders who lead, or leaders who run.
BEFORE YOU GO
We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.
- What are you doing to engage your community in lessons learned from the past?
- What are you doing to keep engaging the community as you learn from mistakes?
- What other tools have you used to keep leading or leading leaders?
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Faris Alami is Founder and CEO of International Strategic Management, Inc. (ISM). He works internationally, presenting Exploring Entrepreneurship Workshops and other entrepreneurial ecosystem — related ventures.
