When it comes to leadership, there are all sorts of expectations: from those you lead, from your management, from your organization, from your clients, and even from yourself.
I used to constantly aim to please and for years I was a bit of a perfectionist. I put a lot of weight on doing things the right way so that others would be happy with the result. Often times, I got in my own way.
The weight and the expectations that you (or others) put on your shoulders can wear you down and burn you out. It can hard for leaders to step away from these expectations but if you want to authentically lead, you have to indulge imperfection and not always “play the part.”
Failure and mistakes are part of leadership. It might be messy, but they enable you to grow, learn and get better. They make us human.
In our professional lives we sometimes forget this and instead focus on meeting objectives and assuming our leadership “roles.” What would happen if you stopped playing the “role” and truly led as you? Would anything change?
Give it a try. Temper the expectations from others or yourself and see what happens. Are you relating better to your team? Are you making connections? Did you make a mistake and learn from it?
Expectations will always be there. Take the time to understand your true leadership style; it is so important to effective leadership. You and those you lead will be grateful that you did.
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