The human costs of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were staggering and historians debate over whether it was effective in avoiding an Allied invasion of Japan. U.S. President Harry Truman, struggled with the decision to bomb these cities. However, once he had made the decision, he did not agonize further and it is said that he went to bed and slept all night.
People in positions of leadership are called upon to make decisions every day. Some of these can be time-critical and they need to work with the facts that they have at that moment. Some decisions can be rolled back, whereas some cannot.
It is important to learn to make decisions when needed and understand that living with the consequences is part of the role.
The role of a leader makes a lot of demands on people. As a leader, you will need to carry your team along in the pursuit of the vision of your organization.
You will need to keep your team motivated and nurture them so that they grow in their respective roles. You will need to set an example for your team and take the larger part of the burden of responsibility.
External Challenges of Leadership
Did you know that the Chinese term for ‘crisis’ contains the characters for danger and opportunity? Leaders are quite often tested by external events and by other people.
Your team might be struggling with low morale or a lack of trust. Or, they might be finding it difficult to collaborate for projects, because of a lack of trust and communication issues. You can cope with these curve-balls by providing leadership and thinking out of the box.
If there is an issue with team dynamics, try to go through the conflict, rather than around it. When making decisions for the team, look for common ground and opportunities to help the team collaborate better.
The Challenges Within
Many leaders, though approachable, might not go along with the team’s ideas if these are different from their perspective. This can be counter-productive and effectively kill interpersonal dynamics.
However, if you are excessively friendly, you might find it difficult to be objective when you need to pull the team along.
As a leader, you must guard against falling prey to fear, lack of confidence, insecurity, and impatience. Acknowledging your shortcomings and working on them can turn you from an average leader into a great one.
A good leader listens to their team and does not fail to acknowledge their contribution.
Challenges of the Role
Leadership is believed to be a prime factor in affecting organization outcomes. Sure, you will need to delegate the mundane details, such as whether there are enough funds, or whether the printer paper has been ordered yet.
One of the toughest challenges of being a leader is that your job is never done. No matter how successful you are, you must keep at it.
A leader needs to set an example for their team with their work ethics and consistent focus on quality. You must stay loyal to the values and the vision of your organisation.
Conclusion
During the Depression, Franklin Roosevelt took proactive steps to control the economy by initiating government programs.
Not everything worked, but people were comforted and inspired by the efforts being made to control an awful situation. And his role as an effective leader is acknowledged in history. A leader does not wait around for things to happen, they make things happen.
