The Spotlight of Leadership

Experienced leaders know that they are standing in the Spotlight of Leadership all the time. I’ll tell you about a video you should watch just below.

Have you read any of the news stories and interviews recently with General Stanley McChrystal, whose new book is coming out now, My Share of the Task?

You’ll recall he is the four-star general whose resignation was precipitated by a Rolling Stone article which disclosed some unsavory remarks about the President’s executive team.

What is McChrystal’s response?

The reporter was given broad access to McChrystal and his staff, with few conditions, to see how the general and his leadership team worked together.

You can read the candid response from General McChrystal about this incident here.

[pullquote]Remember … you won’t BECOME a better leader until you start BEING a better leader. Start by making sure you’re not creating your own distractions and you know where you’re pointing that finger … and don’t forget that it’s impossible to fake authenticity.[/pullquote]

The Spotlight of Leadership

In the monthly meetings among CEOs in the Exkalibur Leadership Forum, we frequently discuss the “Spotlight of Leadership”. It is an intense and eternally vigilant lamp that shines on everything you do, blemishes and all. It is a demanding mistress but successful leaders remember they’re always in the spotlight, measured by their words and actions at every turn.

I strongly recommend a video from the Stanford Executive Briefings series entitled Leveraging the Spotlight of Leadership: What Every Leader Should Know, by Jay Conger. [When you click the link, you can see a preview of the video.]

Don’t miss this video

Watch this video yourself … and show it to your team to remind them of the countless and unexpected ways in which our inadvertent actions are powerfully displayed for all to see.

You’re always standing in the spotlight, whether you like it or not.

Don’t forget it like General McChrystal did.