One of the blessings of having great leadership mentors is that you can see first hand how their personal challenges, growth, life-stage and personality affects their corporate leadership decisions. It just stands to reason that if you are dealing with an aging parent you’ll see the world differently than you had when you were a young college student. Likewise when you have small children, have had personal illness and have personal issues that you are struggling with.
So how do all of these things shape leaders? Probably in more ways than we can count, and in ways that are sometimes hard to decifer. As a leader, you may have difficulty seeing how your personal life is affecting your leadership positively or negatively because you are too close to it.
Since we know that we’ll all face difficulties, disappointments and set-backs how can we strive to make these issues make us better leaders and individuals?
1. Humility. Troubles force us, we shouldn’t fight it too hard, to realize our limitations and weaknesses. This doesn’t have to be considered a a bad thing. A humble leader makes better decisions, for the right reasons, and isn’t often driven to make decisions to prove his/her worth. For leaders, accepting a stance of humility is often difficult, but a useful outcome of difficulty.
2. Sensitivity. When you have young children, you see the challenges of single mothers much more acutely. When you’ve got ailing parents, you understand life is a deeper way than perhaps you would’ve otherwise. When you’ve been ill and struggling with your own frailty, you can take away valuable lessons. Difficulties make us more sensitive to the struggles of others and in the end can build a stronger character in us.
3. Opportunity. Whenever there is a difficulty, there is an opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone who needs help. Our personal struggles help us to see opportunities to bless others, lift their burden and make this world a better place.
Look back at the challenges you’ve faced or are facing right now. Are you getting the most from that pain or are you allowing it to be a bitter memory that helps no one? Let those things help you to become a more humble, sensitive person and look for opportunity to help others through their difficult times.
David Curry
