An Open Letter to Leaders (and Their Assistants)

A letter from Adam Hergenrother, CEO of Adam Hergenrother Companies

Dear Leaders:

It should go without saying that this letter is for the assistants and Force Multipliers of the world, too. After all, they will have likely read this letter before you, vetted it, and then, if it passed muster, brought it to your attention. Assistants, too, are leaders, and to see them as anything else is a complete underestimation of their ability and a disservice to the Executive and the company. Who else gets as much access to the inner circle and is able to learn directly from the leader of an organization? That privilege comes with a lot of responsibility for both the leader and their right hand. Your assistant better be driven, growth-minded, and able to take what he or she learns from you and put it into action. And you better will be willing to invest the time and energy into developing your assistant.

“Leaders are not responsible for the results. Leaders are responsible for the people who are responsible for the results.”

Simon Sinek

Great leaders create more leaders – and that includes your assistant. Whether it’s because you are grooming them for a different leadership opportunity five years from now, or if it’s because you want them to be your strategic partner for life, it doesn’t matter. Great leaders are committed to the growth of those around them and feel a responsibility to serve the people in their life no matter how long they are there for.

The days of top-down, command, and control managerial leaders are a thing of the past. Today’s leaders are vulnerable, communicative, collaborative, aspirational, and inspirational. Today’s leaders are globally connected and community-focused. Today’s leaders are building empires and leaving legacies.

Do you have what it takes to be a top leader in today’s fast-paced, constantly changing world?

So, leaders and Force Multipliers, do you have what does it take to be an amazing leader?

Leadership is not about a title or position. It’s not about tenure or seniority. It’s not about intelligence or degrees. And it sure as hell isn’t about age. Amazing leaders can be found at any level of an organization. Wherever there is a group of people – in schools, non-profits, homes, Fortune 500 companies, governments, and churches – leaders show up. Are you one of them? When people are searching for guidance, looking for direction, or asking for decisions to be made, do you step up and lead?

Are you willing to change and grow into the person you need to be (which takes years of purposeful effort). Leadership is not a passive activity. You can’t just sit back and watch events unfold and have pleasant conversations over afternoon tea. You have to get into the arena and have tough (really tough) conversations and make gut-wrenching decisions that affect other people’s lives. Leadership is knowing that not everyone will be happy with your decisions, but you make them anyway, trusting that you are doing the right thing for your company. You have to be okay with being publicly criticized about the decisions you make. You will never be able to make everyone happy. Once you move from the sidelines into the arena, it’s a different game. You will be judged and judged hard. You will either thrive on the pressure or it will break you – there is no gray in the leadership world. You’re either in or you’re not.

Leadership Isn’t Sexy

Leadership isn’t sexy and yet it’s one of the greatest things you can do. Still want to be a leader? Then you’ve got to ask yourself:

  • Am I willing to go above and beyond what my job requires every day?
  • Am I a team player and consistently putting the good of the company and the good of the team ahead of myself?
  • Am I leading myself first by reading, exercising, journaling, meditating, etc. daily?
  • Am I teaching others how to think differently by asking powerful and purposeful questions?
  • Am I role modeling the behavior of a leader?
  • Am I adding massive value to others and committed to making someone else’s life better?
  • Are people coming to me regularly for leadership advice and guidance?

Were you able to answer “yes” to all of these questions? Good. You’re on the right track. Did you discover that you still have some work to do? Great! It’s not going to be easy, but awareness is the first step. Now it’s about taking action in order to develop influence and build your leadership skills.

It’s really difficult to move from the stands and into the arena. Most people are unable to withstand the stress and end up laying down their swords and climbing back onto the bleachers. But that is the difference between mediocrity and greatness. There is pain on either path – the pain of mediocrity or the pain of growth. You get to decide. Greatness means picking up the sword and going into battle over and over again no matter how many times you get knocked down. It isn’t about winning the short-term battle, but about winning the long-term war. And let me tell you, it’s much easier to have a Force Multiplier by your side.

True leaders are rare and the world needs more of them, now more than ever. We need individuals who are not satisfied with the status quo and who are unafraid of the ridicule they will receive. We need people who can withstand the pain, pressure, and loneliness of leadership.

If you feel the call to become an amazing leader, then it is your duty to answer. You can not assume that others will rise to the challenge, because more often than not, they won’t. Leadership is the ultimate test of vulnerability and perhaps one of the greatest gifts you can give to the people around you. When others are sitting back, resting on their laurels, when others are keeping their heads down and their mouths shut… Be bold. Be brave. Stand up, step up, and lead [up].

Never give up on joy,

Adam

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