I wouldn’t want you to be anyone’s leader

Among many other things, inspiring and effective leadership is encouraging and enabling others to shine and perform beyond what you yourself, as the leader, are capable of.

If you are afraid to surround yourself with smart people, if you feel threatened by highly capable and clever women and men, I wouldn’t want you to be anyone’s leader.

Among many other things, inspiring and effective leadership is freeing your people of the shackles of fear. Fear of failure, fear of dissent, fear of escaping from conventional wisdom.

If you suppress all risk-taking, if you don’t support and amplify dissident voices, if you worship the ‘good old conventional’ and hoard power, I wouldn’t want you to be anyone’s leader.

Among many other things, inspiring and effective leadership is stimulating your people to demonstrate courage, candor, and care – by demonstrating it yourself, in all you do and say, every day.

If you cannot demonstrate these three Cs, or if you cannot admit your failure to live up to these standards and role-model accountability, I wouldn’t want you to be anyone’s leader.