Leaders often get punched in the face. They suffer abuse from every corner. It goes with the territory of being on the front line of the action.
Decisions will be criticized. Directives will be second-guessed. Ideas will be sabotaged. Others may even be jealous.
It’s lonely at the top. It can also be painful. Especially if you’re a servant leader driven to help people do their best work. Invest in people. Mentor people. You’ll bear the marks of service if you remain true to the task. Serve people anyway.
A leader’s resolve to do the chores required of faithful leadership are seen in the scars. They’re mostly inside, but in time they pop to the surface. Added wrinkles and grey hair. Weary eyes.
A leader’s tank is emptied as often as possible in service to her team. The objective is to refill it as frequently as possible so you can continue to empty again. This activity is what the leader lives for – and it’s exhausting. But the leader serves people anyway.
Personal problems afflict the leader just as they do everybody else, but the leader often bears it in silence in order to prevent the team from losing focus. Or because the genuine leader doesn’t want the focus on themselves. Keep the focus on the team and their accomplishments. In the face of family or personal difficulties, the leader serves anyway.
Like a runner enduring a hard marathon, relish the pain that comes in finishing the task. It’s a good kind of hurt. The hurt that comes from knowing you’re doing your very best by people in order to accelerate their performance and their career. It’s what leaders do. They serve their team…no matter what.
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