Take a Good Look in the Mirror

"We like to think of leadership in terms of effectiveness. To be a great leader, we say, you must be effective, and to be effective you should find your strengths," writes Stephen R. Graves in his book The Hero Leader. But what do we really mean by 'effectiveness?' And isn't a leader more than the sum total of his or her strengths?"

"Leaders in the twenty-first century understand all too well the pressure to be all, know all, and do all. We understand that what 'got us here' might not 'keep us here,' because we know that 'new' and 'different' reign supreme, and for good reason. We know last year's results sit in the archives. So we glance into the superhero mirror and yearn for more tricks, tips, and tools. And staring back at us are two conflicting realities: 1) the things we don’t do well might cost us our jobs, and 2) we will never do everything equally well. We hold our breath and hope we can reinvent ourselves like Batman does in each new movie. Only we don't have brilliant directors scripting our every move. The responsibility to grow, to develop, and to discover the appropriate leadership qualities rests squarely on our shoulders."

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