Leadership, Stamina, and Heart

The cheetah survives on the African plains by running down its prey and can sprint 70 miles per hour. But, according to the TV documentary I was watching, the cheetah can't sustain that pace for long. Inside its long, sleek body is a disproportionately small heart. This causes the cheetah to tire out quickly. Unless the speedster catches its prey on the first try, it has to abandon the chase. 

Sometimes we approach leadership the same way. We zoom into projects with unbridled energy. But lacking energy for sustained effort, we fizzle out before we finish. We garner more resources, try new strategies, cut costs, manage the metrics, and vow to start faster and run harder.

What we need may not be more speed, but more staying power--stamina that comes only from having a bigger heart.

Leadership Bonus: Check out a broad array of tips and advice at the Leadership Development Carnival, graciously hosted this month by Jesse Lyn Stoner.

Comments

[Rory Trotter]

Thanks for sharing, Steve.

There is a saying that goes "I have something more important than courage - I have patience."

If leaders had more patience I think we'd see fewer failed initiatives and more truly value added, foundational changes to the workplace. I'd like to see fewer incremental changes and more focus on generating real value through the sort of sustained energy you're talking about.

Thanks again for sharing.

Best,

Rory

[Aohanian]

Steve. Every leader would love to imagine they are a sleek, nippy cheetah. But as you say, they’re no good in a marathon. The truth is, most successful leaders are more like elephants. Fast when they have to be; collaborative (unlike the lonesome cheetah), enduring, and above all, they have a great memory. Elephants survive in tough conditions because they are smart and that’s how businesses survive today.

[Cowan Anderson]

I agree that many focus on training their potential leaders and need to move to development. The challenge here is that both training and development for IT Company need to be in place.