It’s days like today that I am thankful to have the opportunity to lead such a marvelous group of people. We have had a few stressful weeks trying to work out some difficult problems on a project. We worked together and respected each other through the process. Today a vendor and I had to sit in a very difficult meeting giving an end user some news they did not want to hear – but we did it together and the entire team felt supported. No finger pointing, no deflecting responsibility. Our collaborative, confident, and supportive delivery gave our customer confidence in the team and the meeting went very well.
I think that the hardest time to lead well is under extreme pressure, but it is also the most successful and rewarding. Once you have experienced this kind of extreme leadership, you will never want to do it any other way.
Do you have a leadership story to share?