Leadership Isn't For Cowards: How to Drive Performance by Challenging People and Confronting Problems

Chapter 26

Do You Need to Be Committed?

Yes, you need to be committed. (I can’t speak to your mental health, but I can say this with absolute certainty about your leadership health!)

So what? That’s obvious, right? Not so fast! It’s not just commitment; it’s the things you need to be committed to that are important.

Everything in this book is a road map to high performance. These chapters are full of strategies and methods for solving the problems that prevent or limit that performance. In the big picture, you need to be committed to everything we have talked about in this book, but as it relates to this chapter, there are three habits that are particularly important: 1) solving problems independently, 2) communicating powerfully, and 3) playing well with others. Get yourself and your direct reports deeply committed to all three of them. Are you feeling overwhelmed with this book and you want a place to start? Start here. Do you have direct reports that want to develop themselves? Start here.

Solving Problems Independently

Problems and conflict are a part of life. If you aren’t currently dealing with a problem or eighty, you will have some show up very soon. Problems are a necessary part of leadership because they strengthen your team’s ability to persevere. Your job is not to eliminate problems; your job is to solve them. The process of solving problems should be a growth-enhancing experience; you can become a better person and a better leader through developing the way you handle ...