The bravest thing you can choose to do is lead.

For the past four years I’ve trained and coached over 1,500 supervisors, coordinators and middle managers across a broad range of industries and professions to develop their baseline leadership capabilities. Some were first time supervisors seeking confidence and clarity to help their teams perform and meet day-to-day pressures and expectations. Some were experienced managers who earned their people skills the hard way, through mistakes, trial and error. Regardless of their level of experience or mastery of baseline leadership skills, one thing they all had in common was the realisation that leadership is a choice.

In fact, some people got to the end of the Leadership Fundamentals program and concluded that leading and managing other human beings was not for them, which I considered a huge success. Why? Because the last thing any human being wants is a reluctant leader.

For those that do choose to lead, every single one of them will attest that leadership is easily one of the hardest things they have ever chosen to do (perhaps second only to being a parent, but isn’t being a parent just another form of leadership?)

So, what is it about leadership that is so challenging?

Leadership takes courage.

The reason why it takes courage is because the act of leadership is unnatural. As human beings, we are hard wired to survive, and when you choose to “take the lead”, we also choose to embrace uncertainty. Taking the lead means we are in charge, we’re calling the shots, which also means we are ultimately responsible for the outcomes we produce. No blaming someone else or sharing the responsibility with others. When we lead, we are saying to ourselves and the world – this is it – the buck stops with me.

Leadership is lonely.

So often the definition of leadership is to have followers, but in fact, leaders are people who see what needs to be done and boldly move towards it, without waiting for others to support or follow them – they take the lead and show others what is possible, blazing the trail where before there wasn’t one. One of my favourite leadership quotes comes from Dr Dain Heer, author of Being You, Changing the World, he says “A true leader knows where they are going, does not require followers… and is willing to go wherever they need to go, whether anyone else goes or not.” Think about different people in your life or the world that inspire you. Chances are that many of them are trailblazers, people who had the courage to walk a path less traveled and in doing so inspire others to follow.

Leadership requires mastery.

The act of leading, especially teams of people, requires us to relinquish direct control over the output and outcomes and instead take responsibility for the people who are responsible for the output and outcomes. That dynamic can be incredibly rewarding and terrifying … especially when the people you are relying on are lacking is some or many of the baseline skills required to work productively as a team. When you choose to lead others, you must develop your own level of self-mastery first to then help others develop and perform at their natural best.

Remember, one of the bravest, most challenging and rewarding things you will ever do in your life is to choose to lead - yourself, your family, your colleagues and your community.

If you’re looking to develop your baseline leadership capabilities or need support building and developing high performing teams of people in your business, then contact Fiona at Performastery Leadership Facilitation to find out how we can support you and your team on your leadership journey.