Leadership always comes at a price

Leadership always comes at a price. Whether you like it or not, as a leader you are always in the spotlight and things as simple as your facial expressions can change the energy level of the entire team.

This is a lesson I learnt from Alan Mulally (former CEO of Boeing and Ford Company). When Alan took charge of Ford in 2006, the company had lost a whopping $17 billion. But when Alan left Ford in 2014 Ford was an industry leader again. He employed some truly unorthodox ways which changed the fate of Ford- authentic and optimistic leadership being one of them.

Like he said – “Your facial expressions don’t belong to you anymore. You should keep a (genuine) smile on your face to inspire teams” He considered himself the cheerleader in chief.

Of course he took many other strategic decisions which helped Ford bounce back, but if you think through as a business leader people are always looking up to you. Your behaviour and actions are always under scrutiny and you are being judged for everything you do. That’s the price one pays for being a leader.

As a growth coach I work closely with business heads and people in leadership positions and I often get to hear this – “Mitali, I didn’t even ask them to do that, it was merely a suggestion for them.”

While that is true, your suggestions will become orders and that’s how usually it is. So be mindful and watchful of how you show up and whether or not you are walking the talk. Make the most of being in the spotlight and inspire people around you to work towards growth and success.

I would love to help you navigate through this roller coaster ride called entrepreneurship. Book an appointment with me using the link in profile.