Don't Lead If You Don't Like What Follows

Everybody wants to be a leader but nobody wants the responsibility. Most people who aspire to leadership have ulterior motives such as fame & fortune or in worst cases, the authority to "throw their weight around". People don't realize that leaders have tremendous responsibility. Leaders cannot be afraid to make difficult decisions even if they don't agree. A leader has to remain calm under pressure because his/her subordinates look to them for guidance and if the leader cracks, that means trouble for the entire team. Leaders have to put their agenda(s) aside for the greater good & most importantly, they have to work with various personalities. A leader just can't think about him/herself, they have to consider others' in the decisions they make. While they take others' feelings into consideration, a leader must understand that they cannot please everybody. Once they learn this concept, everything will be so much better. I'm going to be honest: There are people in leadership that DON'T BELONG THERE. Either they are power-hungry or they have no idea what true leadership entails. At its core, a leader is a servant. The reason I say a leader is a servant is because they work for others' benefit. In the corporate realm, the CEO is the highest ranking executive but even the CEO has to answer to the Board Of Directors. The CEO's decisions must be satisfactory to the board or he could be replaced. A leader must be strong enough to endure criticism or (s)he won't last. Everyone won't agree with his/her decisions but that's not the leader's fault. No matter the decision, some people will never be satisfied so they will find fault in everything. That's their problem, not the leader's. Many people ascending into leadership realize they moved into leadership too fast and need a little more grooming. They get in over their heads and the controversy surrounding leadership gets to them. As a leader, all eyes are on you. There are people that seek to undermine a leader every chance they get so a person in authority must be EXTRA careful for those types. Anyone (myself included) that aspires to leadership must understand one principle: If you want to wear the crown, take responsibility for the ups & downs.