Sponsorship Guide
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By Clare Harris
Being a leader of others means, by its very nature, that you must be prepared to stand alone, to bear the burden of heavy responsibility, and to lead other through both good times and bad. As one experienced leader put it, "I'm responsible for so much: my people's jobs, their salaries, their promotions, their families-ultimately, their well-being depends on my judgment."
One of the hardest times for a leader is when you have to keep your own counsel to make a difficult decision. It may be a decision that is received with dismay and resentment, but you are not at liberty to give your staff the complete picture. As a successful leader remarked: "When I want to lean back for support, I can't necessarily expect to find anyone behind me." This is a lonely position in which to find yourself.
There will be times when, as a leader, you have to struggle with uncertainty; times when the most difficult but potentially creative option is to wait and allow yourself to be "lost" for a while, without panicking. This is potentially stressful for anyone, but particularly so when the careers and livelihoods of others hang on your decisions.
All the tough aspects of being a leader tend to make us physically tense. It's therefore essential for your well-being and the success of your leadership that you develop expert self-awareness of your thinking habits, and of your moment-to-moment bodily tension. This will ensure that you are fully present in difficult situations, while simultaneously keeping a grasp of the bigger picture.
Successful leaders must also establish sustaining support structures. If you have the backing of a clear, rigorous decision-making process, this will be hugely supportive of your own thinking. It will underpin the painful or complex decisions, and allow you to check the validity of decisions that have to be made during times of uncertainty. It's helpful, too, in hard times, to remember that no matter how important you are, you still play only a small part in a much larger whole.
Another immensely helpful source of support is to find mentors to whom you can turn in times of needs. A trusted mentor can create a replenishing personal forum where you test and develop your thinking. One company leader told me that he and other leaders, from unrelated companies, formed themselves into a long-standing group whose function was to support one another. This has lasted years, and has proved hugely valuable.
Monitoring your life balance is also vital. If you allow yourself to live at work, your perspective is narrowed and your judgment can become subtly limited. Furthermore, your physical health will be more easily undermined. On the other hand, a personal life full of deep and rich experiences can be drawn upon to help sustain the success of your leadership and protect your well-being. Creating and practicing daily strategies for stress release really is non-optional (and creates a wonderful example for your staff).
Except printed by permission from Minimize Stress, Maximize Success (Retail, $16.95 USA, ISBN 0-8118-3646-0) copyright © 2003 by Clare Harris. Duncan Baird Publishers. For information, contact Chronicle Books at 800.722.6657 or www.chroniclebooks.com.
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