These are some of the “make-or-break” components of leadership. They will destroy your effectiveness if they are mismanaged. We will consider how great leaders balance hope and reality, deal with truth, encourage and manage risk, zero in on results, and address both the facts and the feelings when dealing with complex human beings.

Spread Optimism & Spread the Ugly Truth

Work needs a positive framework. People will conquer mountains - if they believe they can and that there is a point to the battle. They can change if they are encouraged about better tomorrows and the role they can play in creating them. Great leaders know the power of optimism, of pointing people toward hope.

Work needs a realistic framework. People will roll up their sleeves and make a determined effort if they know what they’re up against. They can change if they know the truth about why they are changing, and what and how they need to change. Cheerleading won’t get the job done if it is based on wishful thinking rather than hard-core reality.

Demand the Truth & Have it Freely Offered

We know instinctively that we are in trouble if we don’t face the truth. But leaders often don’t even get a chance to meet the truth because they resist hearing it, believing it, and acting on it. When forced to confront it, they frequently “shoot the messenger” and develop a rationale for dismissing it. People talk like the truth is one of their best friends but frequently act like it’s an armed intruder. The net result is that many organizations are reality impaired.

However, even leaders who actually want to know reality are often sheltered from it simply because they hold positions of power. They are hampered by the truth-filtering activities of people who won’t tell it to them straight.

Take More Risks & Eliminate Risks

You are asked to exercise authority over people who have a fundamental aversion to having someone exercise authority over them. You have responsibility for people who are vastly unpredictable. You have accountability for something, the greater part of which is out of your control and perhaps even resistant to your influence.

You are told to be willing to be counted, stick your neck out, challenge the status quo, step up to the plate. And you are also told to watch your Ps & Qs, watch your back, stay out of the line of fire, and avoid rocking the boat. You are told to take more risks, and eliminate risk.

Focus on Results & Ignore Results

Results are what we talk about, and for this reason it seems as though they are what we’re focusing on. But we can think and talk about something without actually focusing on it. In the real world there is very little actual focus on results, from “performance evaluations” at the individual level to progress reports at the organizational level. And because of this, most of the world falls miserably short of achieving meaningful outcomes.

Somehow, focusing on results doesn’t get the job done. We talk and talk about double-digit growth, but don’t get close to it. We make reduced turnover a corporate objective, but it doesn’t go down. We tell our mid and front-line leaders that we want to see more energy and enthusiasm in the staff, but the place still feels the same.

Lead with the Heart & Lead with the Head

In many organizations - in many people - there is a huge divide between rational and emotional leadership.

The truth? Good thinking and decision-making must include and absorb the best of both the intuitive and analytical points of view. There can, of course, be a perceived conflict between those two perspectives, but it must be resolved if maximally effective decisions are to be made. Happily, conflict can be resolved if those in positions of responsibility develop a deep understanding of how these two perspectives complement one another.