Richard Nixon once said that leadership is ‘head, heart, and guts’. It’s the ability to show compassion for others while simultaneously having the courage to make tough decisions that will impact their lives. Earlier this week, I had the rare opportunity to observe the many faces of leadership when I stood by a close friend as he made a delicate business decision. Although his business had been steadily thriving, his management team seemed to lack cohesion and was the apparent reason behind a divided employee culture. To pin point the problem, he facilitated a spirited town hall meeting, only to discover particular discontent towards his Chief Operating Officer, who ironically, was his closest friend. When the rest of his management team reaffirmed this misalignment, he stood tall and stripped the COO of his executive responsibilities, reinforcing his commitment to the organization. In his book – Leadership isn’t for Cowards – Mike Staver describes leadership as simply ‘messing with people’s lives’. Here’s why…..
