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Leadership: Stay out of the kitchen if you can’t handle the heat

April 8, 2013 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Not everybody is prepared to endure the demanding responsibilities of a leadership role:

  • It’s tough to challenge status quo and to pilot your organization forward into unfamiliar territory
  • It’s tough to be long-term oriented and to propose transformative ideas that may fall eventually short of expectations
  • It’s tough to see around the corner and to rely on gut intuitions to develop an “end state” vision
  • It’s tough to prioritize decisiveness over inclusivity and to take tough—and sometimes unpopular—decisions
  • It’s tough to resist the urge to settle and to avoid letting circumstances define your strategy
  • It’s tough to gain strong credibility and communicate the direction and priorities of your organization
  • It’s tough to face censure and be verbally graceful under fire
  • It’s tough to be decisive, to acknowledge setbacks, and to change course midstream, if required
  • It’s tough to rationalize seemingly irrational actions and to ask for resources
  • It’s tough to be tough-minded without being inflexible or insensitive
  • It’s tough to do the right thing while resisting the temptation to please your constituents
  • It’s tough to say no when you must; it’s tough to say yes when you can’t

If you cannot come to terms with the pressures of a leadership role, perhaps leadership may be the wrong kind of work for you.

It is acceptable to be an individual contributor; although you must still develop your leadership skills to succeed in any role in the modern organization.

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Filed Under: Career Development, Leadership, Leading Teams Tagged With: Leadership Lessons, Likeability

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About: Nagesh Belludi [hire] is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based freethinker, investor, and leadership coach. He specializes in helping executives and companies ensure that the overall quality of their decision-making benefits isn’t compromised by a lack of a big-picture understanding.

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