Did You Lead This Year by Walking BOTH Roads?

Did You Lead This Year by Walking BOTH Roads? www.outoudinc.blogspot.com

Unless you’re a zillionaire, you probably had both good and bad days this year. Then again, I guess zillionaires have their bad days. Like when their G-6 jet won’t start or someone thoughtlessly scratches the yacht (I hate when that happens. . . awfully inconvenient that!). But as my habit of using December to REFLECT and January to PLAN, I have been thinking out loud about how as leaders we have to “walk both roads” of, as Jimmy Buffet sings, “good days and bad days and going half-mad days!”

I have often said that anyone can be a successful leader. That is, it’s easy to lead when everything is going your way and things come easy. True leadership, transformational leadership, however, comes when you lead yourself and others through tough times. I bet you are a transformational leader as opposed to one that blame others when things don’t work out (that’s a prerogative that seems to be reserved exclusively for politicians and celebrities these days!). In fact, I know you don’t cut and run when things get hard! You just square up your shoulders and step forward into the whirlwind of life. Just remember sometimes you will end up in the pleasant suburbs of Liferockesistan and other days smack in the middle of downtown Thissucksville! You’ll just have to let go of the baggage that no longer serves you and enjoy the sights along the way.

To be honest 2016 was a challenging year for me. But it was also a time of great growth. I learned so much in the books I finally got to read, the great people that I got to meet, and the experiences I have had. I have learned a lot about myself too and what I still need to work on.

So even if 2016 was not your best year either, just remember you are still above ground and walking tall (or in my case, more like 5’9” on a good day)! Take encouragement in Tennyson’s words of King Odysseus in his later years, “Though much is taken, much abides; and though we are not now that strength in old days moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are; one equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in WILL to STRIVE, To FIND, and NOT to Yield. “

So, don’t yield and take the good with the bad like a champ! You’re not done yet . . . not by a long shot! Besides, your people now and the people you have yet to lead need you to help them walk both roads too! You see at the end of the day there is just no avoiding it and the best leaders have mastered the art of leading when its easy and when leadership gets tough. It is my fervent hope and prayer 2017 will be your best year yet. But just in case you do hit a bump or two in the road, when people ask you how you are doing, just tell them “fine and dandy” (but inside, proudly proclaim . . . “and still walking both roads”!).

Many thanks to those who supported Out Loud Strategies and this blog this year. Due to your support I had the opportunity to speak in front of several large groups and a couple of my postings reached over 100 and 200 views! I hope I have added value to you and I look forward to what I can share in 2017! As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would invite you to email me or to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be critical to add value to your organization!

Yours in Leadership (and still walking both roads!),

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

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