One thing that differentiates good leaders in today’s busy world
Today, leaders face many internal and external demands.
At the highest levels, we expect that our leaders pave the way forward into a new bright future. We expect them to align our activities while comforting us in the time of stress. We expect our leaders to be present at home, role modelling putting their kids to sleep. We expect them to have no fears or anxiety when tackling the most challenging situations.
Our expectations are unrealistic.
Seeing leaders as people, we understand that they only have so much time on their hands and so much energy. We know that leaders have more tasks in their calendar than hours in the day. We see that leaders are very, very busy people.
But being busy is not the same as being a leader. Being busy is a sign of productivity and high performance, not leadership.
What differentiates leaders from high performers is what their followers see. True leaders in the new, busy, demanding world are those people who are reliable.
Leaders are reliable because they show up to meetings on time and end them on time. They are reliable because they give you notice when running late and make it up to you immediately after. They are reliable because they do what they promise. They are reliable because you know that they have your back.
Reliability goes beyond simple acts of being there. It is a salient characteristic of trust on which leadership rises. Followers want to trust their leaders and reliable leaders are those they can trust.
Reliable leaders are the leaders I choose to lead me, and this is the type of leader I aspire to be one day.
