I had lunch with a friend today who expressed frustration that his boss believed the company had made him what he was today. His boss implied that he was successful because of the company and didn’t acknowledge any of his own choices and hard work. He felt demoralized and ‘unseen’. The irony of this was that just this morning, two employees at a client organization thanked me for the work I had done around their culture , suggesting it was because of me. I said thank you for the kind words but reminded them, in all sincerity it took an awesome team of people to make some bold moves and step outside of their comfort zones to make the changes. It was a movement. It still is and I am still so very grateful to be allowed to be part of it. It would have happened anyway…I was just the lucky consultant to be there at the right time and place.

My day reminded me of a number of things but most especially that great leaders:

• Real leaders take the blame and give the credit. They empower and uplift. They remove obstances so that their teams are at their utmost best.   Takes some time to reflect on whether you have enough humility.  Here are some questions for reflection:

  • How are you doing in the humility department?

  • Do you find yourself shifting the blame onto others when things go wrong?

  • Do you always take credit for good decisions you’ve made?

  • Do you think those you lead would describe you as kind and empathetic?

• Great leaders step outside of their comfort zones. They model it. They live but they also make it safe for others to do so.  Think back to the most meaningful, amazing moments of your life. When you examine them you will find that they had you stepping out of your comfort zone. Trying something new and unfamiliar brings extra excitement and emotion to the event. These highs leave us with a greater sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that simply doing the same thing every day. Great leaders know this. They model it and soon have followers excited to do the same thing, willing to be vulnerable and push the envelope.