Lonely at the top

The unspoken taboo and a harsh reality. Too many leaders are not being led. Yes, it is true. It is the shrapnel of “success”. Reaching a point in your career where development, feedback, and even accountability disappear. Not mean-spirited, not intentional. When you have talent, a resume of success, and then combine it with “busy” …. development is the first thing crossed off the list. John C. Maxwell’s book, How To Lead When Your Boss Can’t (Or Won’t), is a great resource to dive into the implications and the strategies to navigate this reality. 

There are times in a career where each of what I call “The 4 “ings” of business leadership can soften. TrainING. LeadING. ManagING. CoachING. Not all at once but each can wax and wane. Nothing too egregious but easy enough to feel the vacuum of influence. You can survive - but probably not thrive.

If this struck a chord read on. There are solutions and each of them starts with one common denominator. You have to recognize that this is happening to you and take action. Look for the evidence. Surely the evidence can be found in the metrics of the business. More sinister, they can be found in more emotional aspects. In the form of stress, boredom, anxiety. Perhaps then you see are things fuzzy, experience slow decision making, poor prioritization, and worse, you then stop developing others. You simply begin to reduce the impact on others due to the lack of development you are receiving.

It takes a lot of gumption to remedy, but remedy you must. Once you have recognized the challenge it is time to take action. Easy enough to run into your boss’s office and say “hey—can you pay attention to me?” GULP. This is an option. And maybe the options also include seeking new ways to enhance your skills. A way to take control of your future and invest in your ambition. Introduce an external trusted executive and business coach. 

Put the power in your own hands. Too many will go down the road of the victim, and try to go it alone. It will always start with your own effort and ownership, but adding in the influence and partnership of a vested coach prioritizes your ambition.