Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone    

If you are a new executive or manager, it can be tempting to think about checking the box.  Usually, new managers have many new responsibilities.  New divisions.  New departments.  At times, your only wish will be to keep the trains moving on time.   And that's if you can even keep track of your new trains.

Mike Myatt (N2Growth.com) does a fantastic job of reminding us that leadership is so much more than that.  The following three paragraphs really hit home with me.

"Leadership isn’t about checking boxes. Great leadership thrives beyond typical borders and constraints – it lives outside the norm. Leadership requires more than just going through the motions. Real leaders reshape, reinvent, or remove boxes, but they refuse to simply check them.

True leadership doesn’t reveal itself by meeting expectations; it shows itself by exceeding them. Leadership looks past the obvious, beyond the optics, and it embraces the challenge of seeking the extraordinary. Leadership is demonstrated by having the courage to do more than just go through the motions.

Think about it like this – do you want to be a leader who simply does what’s expected, or do you want to be a leader who makes what if a reality? Let me say this as simply as I can: Leaders don’t settle – they move forward. They innately stretch themselves, as well as those they lead. The best leaders don’t have a maintenance mindset. They focus their efforts on discovery, creation, improvement, disruption, and growth."

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Great words of wisdom.  But easier said than done!  So, what advice would you give to a new executive to get them away from "checking the box?"  

As always, have a great weekend, guys!