Leading at a difficult time
Leadership is now being tested on many levels in all organisations, institutions and governments. And that’s a good thing!
Leadership needs to be challenged because that’s how we grow and as a result we create more value for our teams and stakeholders.
Granted, these are especially challenging times for leaders but we have two choices where we find ourselves:
Your first choice is this: you can be so overwhelmed by all that is happening around you that you move into a freeze state. – unable to move ahead with strategic intent and paralyzed by fear to the point where you take little to or no action at all. This can be a dangerous state to be in because all things change and when this particular world crisis is over and done, you will be on the back-foot and so will your business.
Your second choice is the one I would highly recommend you to choose and that is to LEAD FROM HERE!
This implies that you take action. This is your opportunity as a leader to be creative, strategic, inspiring and brave.
I think this is a time for authentic leaders to truly shine and make their mark. We have been given an opportunity to re-evaluate what’s important, to consider alternatives and to think about the future in a way that is compassionate towards others and at the same time understanding the impact that our actions have on those around us.
Difficult times I believe give rise to true leadership. If we look back at history we can see how leaders such as Joan of Arc, Catherine the Great, Alexander the Great, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and the likes of influencers such as Albert Einstein, Aristotle, Plato, Mother Theresa.
These are all just a few people that I can think of that have left a legacy behind of courage, bravery, foresight and determination to make the world in one way or another a better place.
Now you might say, well that’s all very well Grant Driver but they were at the right place at the right time, they had better resources, they were more intelligent, more popular and had a platform to share their message. That may be true in some cases but what they all have in common is that they had to start somewhere. And for you as a leader that somewhere is right where you are now at this exact moment in time! Now is your time to stand up, make a difference, make an impact and make good things happen!
