13 Thoughts for Discouraged Leaders

By Matt Monge

It ain’t all rainbows and unicorns.

After the YouTube clip ends, after the conference is over, after the teambuilding session–there’s this other thing that happens. Real life leadership.

And it’s exhausting. Tiring. Long hours. The certainty that almost any decision you make will not be perfectly agreeable to at least somebody. Cranky bosses. Crappy work environments. It could be any number of things or combination of things, but there are times when you just get discouraged, and I don’t think there’s any shame in that. It’s a normal part of being human, yes?

You’re not some robot that doesn’t have feelings or emotions or needs or whatever. Now some of us may act like robots sometimes, but even then, underneath it all, there’s a beating heart.

Almost all of us have been and/or are discouraged. It’s OK. It’s normal. But let’s push into that discouragement a little bit. Better yet, let’s push back a little bit. Here are some reminders for the discouraged leaders among us:

1. If you’re exhausted you’re probably not lazy.

2. Leadership is draining–physically, mentally, emotionally. If you’re feeling drained, you should probably also feel proud. You’re pouring yourself into your work. In other words, your fatigue, in and of itself, ought to be an encouragement. It means you’re investing yourself in leadership. If you were simply going through the motions, it wouldn’t be nearly as tiring.

3. Leadership is a noble thing. It’s worth it.

4. Leadership is an opportunity to serve. Thanks for giving of yourself to serve your team.

– See more at: http://themojocompany.com/2013/02/13-reminders-for-discouraged-leaders/#sthash.zFkD6UzY.dpuf

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