Leadership / Struggle
The Struggle Leaders Have
Getting Things Right vs Being Right
I’ve struggled with this as a leader, as a husband, and as a father. Immensely. Part of it comes from an incredibly intense competitive nature. I want to win, damn it!
When you view everything as a competition, then you fall prey to this notion of wanting to be right, full stop. I have the right answer, the best solution, the best way forward, the best ideas, and so on. Then your ego comes along and gets on board and things become even worse. Or maybe your ego was not just on board but actually driving the train. What you can do about it?
The antidote is a healthy dose of humility and re-framing the problem from “being right” to “getting things right.” Just like some people can naturally run faster than others, some people are born with a healthy dose of humility. I wasn’t.
Growing up in my little pond, I was smarter than those who were stronger and stronger than those who were smarter. In other words, I always had success in some area that others didn’t. I was never better than everybody but I was more successful than most. As a kid, that made me a big fish in my little pond. Then I went to West Point.
