Why Embracing Your Extremes Can Make You a Better Leader

Leadership is often associated with well-roundedness, but is that really what we should be striving for? One would argue that the best leaders are actually extreme in their qualities.??

They are not inoffensive or mediocre, but rather passionate, driven, focused, direct, urgent, empowering, and in control.?

Yet we have become accustomed to appointing people with less ‘edge’; nicely rounded, inoffensive, who won’t upset too many people. If you have been part of an appointment process, you will probably have observed, perhaps even participated, in such a discussion.??

This is not the time, nor has there ever been a time, for leaders to be middle of the road. Well-rounded is nothing more than a euphemism for mediocrity. Mediocrity will pollute culture and kill performance. We need our leaders to be more extreme.??

However, being extreme doesn't mean being unbalanced or uncontrolled. The best leaders are also keenly self-aware and know which extreme to draw on at a given moment. Thanks to research by Craig Groeschel, author of “Lead Like It Matters”, the best leaders are confident yet humble, driven yet healthy, focused yet flexible, direct yet kind, urgent yet patient, and empowering yet in control.?

So why should leaders embrace their extremes? Because it allows them to make high-conviction decisions and pursue important objectives with passion and drive, while also maintaining their health and well-being.?

Brilliant leaders are driven to succeed. They are passionate about achieving high-impact, important objectives. Passion is not an extroverted trait; some of the most passionate leaders we know are deeply introverted. All are propelled to make an impact. They are not apathetic, they keep pressing towards a horizon, refusing to settle for a comfortable, stretch-free life and yet they pursue a healthy life. They know the power of recovery, including proper sleep. ‘All nighters’ are not relished as a badge of honour. For the effective leader, these are not occasional add-ons to a hectic work life, they are extremely important. Craig Groeschel describes it like this:??

‘If you’re too relaxed, you’re never going to get it. If you’re too driven, you’re never going to keep it.’???

We could make similar observations for focus and flexibility, urgency and patience, empowerment and being in control, and more. The point is that the very best leaders live and work to the extremes. The crucial factor that differentiates extremely good leaders from extremely bad ones is self-awareness. The best leaders are keenly aware of which extremes are needed and they make their choices proactively and don’t just rely on unprocessed reactions, a critical factor.??

If you're a leader, don't settle for being well-rounded or mediocre. Embrace your extremes and use your self-awareness to make proactive choices that align with your unique strengths. And if you're appointing new leaders to your team, don't settle for mediocrity - seek out those who are edgy and extreme in their qualities. In short, we don't need any more well-rounded leaders - we need leaders who are true to themselves and their unique strengths.?