Such a Sicko
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Are you sick?
A good leader is always looking ahead. Yes, you also need to know the health of your organization, but sometimes you can get so focused on internal issues that you lose sight of where you are headed organizationally. I once had a leader in my organization who just couldn’t seem to be happy. Instead of enjoying a moment or season of success, he was constantly worried about what’s next. He believed that there was always something brewing, always someone who was ready to leave, or something ready to fall apart organizationally. I’m sure you can appreciate those leaders in the organization who are looking out for areas of exposure; some will be better at it than others. But at what point does looking for problems become straight-up hypochondria?
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If you start to operate under the notion that there is always something wrong, it begins to introduce uncertainty in your organization. The once confident leader will become paralyzed into indecision, and they insert mistrust into the organization. Some leaders like to call it obsession for detail, but that’s just a fancy way of saying they worry too much. Consider the life of Howard Hughes, and you will see a powerful example of how a visionary leader can devolve into an obsessive hypochondriac who loses their ability to lead. It has happened to leaders throughout history since the time of the Roman Empire. Your energies move from envisioning the future to speculating dark possibilities. Eventually you lose all ability to look ahead…
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Take five minutes and consider: Am I tearing my organization apart looking for problems where none exist? Have I unintentionally created a culture of mistrust by not being able to let go of unnecessary worry?
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Hear this, leader: If you look for problems long enough, you’ll find them. Unfortunately, no one wants to follow you along that journey. Instead, lift your eyes up and look ahead, moving the organization forward. Spend your time dealing with the problems that come your way, not endlessly looking for new ones.
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Now Go, Lead…