Do you feel unappreciated? I think most of us do from time to time, especially as leaders. Leadership can be lonely.
As a result of this loneliness it is not uncommon for leaders to feel they aren’t doing very well. This is only reinforced by the lack of outward appreciation and positive affirmations a leader receives from those he or she leads.
However, no one said it was easy to be a leader, at least a good one. But it is worth it. And it requires having courage to make difficult choices with complete accountability for what could possibly go wrong.
As a parent I have always been my own worse critic. I try really hard, but I’m not perfect. And naturally it’s those imperfections that I have focused on many times.
As a father of eight children I have had a lot of opportunities to practice, make mistakes and try to get better. As some of my kids have started their own families I have been told from time to time that I was a great Dad. That always makes me feel really good about my leadership in the home.
But often times while they were growing up I wondered. Even now, with five kids at home, I have my doubts of how well I am doing on occasion. It’s unfortunate, but parents and leaders don’t get told enough of how well they are doing.
The reality is, you are doing fine, even great as a parent and/or leader!
I understand there are those who lead who are not doing very well; they might be downright mean, lack integrity and care only about themselves. But I think most of us who genuinely care about those we lead and are really trying, are doing just fine despite are weaknesses and mistakes from time to time.
My focus in writing is about improving leadership skills and getting better. However, I blog on such things because I realize that none of us are picture perfect leaders yet; including myself. But each day most of us are doing our best and learning from our mistakes. And because of that we are great!
So, I just wanted to take a moment and let you know that you are doing fine. There will be days that you will doubt that, but keep trying. There are valleys and there are peaks, the key is to focus on the peaks when you are in the valleys and recall the beautiful horizons from above that the past has provided you.
The video below inspired me to write this post. If you are a parent I hope you will appreciate it as I did.
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