We are just human, after all – We are men, not gods
From the Career Opportunities Archives…
By the time you read this, or hear this podcast, Barack Obama will have started his tenure as the President of the United States. While I have great expectations for this presidency, as I do whenever anyone takes on the job, I also remind myself daily that presidents are men (and hopefully soon, women) not some god-like, mythological figures. As people, we can only do the best that we can do. We are flawed and apt to fail. Still, just like the President, our job is to do the best we can with what we are given and ignore those that expect us to be perfect, either in our lives or in our careers.
While we may never be tasked with being the leader of a large country, we each have our own leadership challenges. We also have people who will expect too much from us. They expect us to almost magically repair years of damage overnight, boost profits and make your company or department the world leader. While these people need leadership, their overblown expectations make it even harder for us to succeed. While it is great to dream, dreams take a long time to come to fruition. Often, these same people become quickly disenchanted. They don’t have the patience and understanding of how long and difficult change can be. These fervent supporters and cheerleaders for your work can suddenly become your most vociferous critics.
Read this entire column – We are just human, after all – We are men, not gods
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