The Leadership Contract, 2nd Edition

Chapter 7Leadership Is a Community—Connect

More and more of the leaders I work with today are expressing a yearning for something different in their experience of leadership. I can understand why. For most of us the experience has been mediocre.

Think of your own experience. There's a good chance you and your fellow leaders haven't been on the same page and have worked at cross-purposes because strategic clarity has been low. Or maybe the primary focus is on protecting turf and competing internally, silo against silo. Conflict runs rampant. Frustration is high, and getting anything done feels next to impossible.

Or your experience may be one of sheer apathy, where there is little energy or vitality. You and your fellow leaders seem to be going through the motions, bystanders cloaked with fancy leadership titles. It's exhausting and even demoralizing.

Whatever the experience, you may end up questioning why you ever became a leader in the first place. You also know deep down that there has to be a better way.

There is.

What if instead, you worked with a group of leaders who were all truly aligned to the vision and strategy of your organization? What if there were a real sense of collaboration that enabled innovation to flourish? What if all the leaders in your organization showed up every day fully committed to being the best leaders they could possibly be? What if leaders supported one another to achieve higher levels of personal and collective performance?

This is what a genuine ...