There is no one size fits all leadership model in the twenty-first century. Leadership today is an evolving and demanding practice. Leaders must hold a powerful vision for a better way, they must create a compelling story, a story that engages and allows others to enroll in the work. They must build strong and vibrant organizational culture nurturing and supporting those who enroll. Leadership today means coming to understand that while you create the conditions for this success – the same rules do not necessarily apply to you. You must and likely will suffer the stress of timelines set and imposed – yet you can’t show the stress, you will bear the heart ache of management details from making payroll to facilities upkeep, yet you cannot waiver, to the personal attacks on the vision and your character – you cannot respond in kind.

Being a leader is hard. It requires a rock-solid vision for improving the current condition – in whatever industry you are privileged to lead. It requires commitment and perseverance. The commitment to stay the course when others won’t or can’t. It requires the perseverance to keep pushing on day-after-day, in the face of long odds and naysayers. Leading means facing uncertainty, dealing with ambiguity, personal and professional attacks and competing agendas. It virtually guarantees that you will not win most popularity contests as you defy commonly held assumptions about what is possible and the comfort so dear to those who benefit from maintaining the status quo.