Today's Leadership Insight - The Power of Struggle

August 6th, 2009

"...It is never the duty of a leader to struggle for someone else. A leader must encourage others to struggle and assure them their struggles are worthwhile..." --- King Solomon

It's going to happen in all aspects of life. Struggle. It's been sewn into the fabric of society since the beginning of time. Not everything goes according to plan, and every person should expect to tangle with struggle at some point in their lives.

When you were a child, you may have been gifted in writing and spelling, but struggled in math. I know this was my experience, so I had to work harder at math to ensure I completed my assignments correctly.

As you grow up, you may struggle with the opposite sex. We're all in search of the person we can spend the rest of our lives with, and very rarely do we find that person on the first try.

In business, no company, big or small, can avoid struggle. Hitting projections, establishing clientele, developing a strong team, and battling an economy in a downswing are just a few of the struggles all companies and business owners face on a daily basis. No one is immune to it.

But it's how the companies, and more importantly, the leaders, react in times of struggle. It's in times of uncertainty that leaders rise to the occassion and fight through the tough times.

Leadership is defined by struggle.

Like King Solomon said, a true leader welcomes struggle, and encourages others to do the same. Why? Because a true leader realizes that struggle will come whether it's welcome or not and will become a better person because of it.

Today, expect to struggle. If you don't struggle in your business and leadership development, you're not doing everything necessary to get to the top. If everything comes easy, challenge yourself to try something new. Use the mistakes you make to learn how to master the specific task, and file it away in your mental library for use at a later time.

Be focused on finding a solution today.