LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS: SUCCESS, SHORTCOMINGS, & REBOUNDING FROM FAILURE

“Leadership is a journey of learning, adaptability, and courage. Accomplishments validate leadership, but humility sustains it.” - Unknown

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There are two opposing sides to many situations, qualities and ideas - good and bad, hot and cold, healing and hurt.? This holds true with respect to leadership.? There are good leaders with demonstrated results and accomplishments that also have experienced failures.? As is often the case, how a leader bounces back determines the sustainability and growth of their leadership effectiveness and ultimately success for their organizations.?

Leadership results are indicative of the two sides of the same leadership coin.? Statistics indicate a coin flipped numerous times will land on each side equally.? But as leaders we want to find ourselves on the positive side of leadership success much more often than 50% of the time!? What are the two sides of the coin – or the extremes of leadership - and how does a leader rebound back to the side of success with favorable, impactful leadership?

?Both sides of this leadership comparison are a result of the use of one’s leadership qualities coupled with an on-going assessment of many influential, external factors. Ideally this creates course corrections both for the team and the leader themselves. The foundational qualities of successful leaders, emphasizes the importance of accomplishments derived from motivation, wisdom, focus with determination, and experience.? Conversely, many successful leaders have experienced failures.? Most notably Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, Thomas Edison and both Henry Ford and Lee Iacocca of automobile fame come to mind.? Their stories offer a sobering view of the challenges faced by those at the helm of organizations large or small. Together, these two perspectives provide a comprehensive look at the two sides of the leadership coin.

Leaders are quickly recognized by the results produced from demonstrable accomplishments.? Revenue growth, new market penetration, profit increases are tangible results often attributed to business leaders.? Successful leaders are born out of a leader’s vision (wisdom), the discipline to inspire others to action, and the tenacity to execute and drive forward with passion and unwavering commitment toward accomplishing objectives. ?Motivation, tenacity to overcome obstacles, and wisdom are critical traits for sustained success. These traits when actively visible through the leader’s actions and words are experienced by team members as inspiration.? The successful leader continually assesses the teams’ absorption and understanding of the vision and pathway to success pivoting and turning and adjusting accordingly.? Empathy, compassion and understanding are exhibited toward the team.? Emotional intelligence is often described as the parallel existence of these qualities.? Successful leadership relies on not just business acumen, breadth of experience and favorable circumstances but emotional intelligence.? Without emotional intelligence, the “leader” has no team, no followers and an uncertain future.

Failure - a different side of the leadership coin.? Despite their achievements, many leaders can falter due to arrogance, burnout, or misjudging evolving circumstances. Accomplished leaders may fail because they rest heavily on past approaches towards success and do not take advantage to learn and adapt their leadership style from new circumstances or techniques. Unsuccessful leaders can mistakenly place too much emphasis on their own skills and talents and fail to recognize the power of the team and those individuals around them.? Rarely are results or objectives accomplished with singular efforts of one person unless one is an entrepreneur or a smaller organization.? It is much more often that success is the result of teams of individuals with effective leaders which together accomplish objectives and advance the initiatives and momentum of the organization. The unwillingness to or inability to learn from mistakes or failures can be a tremendous obstacle to overcome.? There are many case studies showing leaders who ignored team feedback or failed to adapt to market or consumer shifts, ultimately leading to their demise. ?In such situations failure is not from the lack of skill; failure is from the absence of self-awareness and humility.? Leaders who have experienced failure can recover and rise to meet new challenges with success.

Leaders can rebound by embracing humility, acknowledging their shortcomings, and rebuilding trust through transparency and accountability. They can learn from their mistakes by reflecting on what went wrong, seeking feedback, and using setbacks as lessons for growth. Aspiring leaders must prioritize self-reflection and personal growth to thrive. With self-reflection and a willingness to pivot, they can achieve rapid success even in unfamiliar contexts or settings.? Adaptability and perseverance are key to reinvention.? Finally, by channeling their talents into new opportunities, they can leverage their breadth of experience and passion to create fresh, new paths for success. Therefore, take ownership of your path — every mistake is an opportunity, and every success is a chance to lead with purpose.