One of my thoughtful readers replied to last week’s Minute with the keen observation that leaders need to be humble enough to be a learner and yet confident enough to be a decision-maker. Leaders need to be able to hear what employees (and others) honestly think and feel while contemporaneously maintaining their overall responsibility for the company. It’s a great insight into another one of the seemingly paradoxical aspects of being a leader.

Food for Thought ~

This underscores the point from last week that leaders need to have exceptional EQ (Emotional Intelligence.) It takes a lot of maturity and poise to balance the multiple facets of a leadership position, and this is one of the most challenging. Kudos to those of you who have mastered this aspect of leadership. And kudos as well to those who are working on it!

Question of the day ~

How are your skills at being humble enough to be a listener and learner while at the same time maintaining an appropriate perspective on your responsibility as a leader, as well as managing your own emotional response?