When people talk about leadership, you hear all the shiny stuff: The opportunity to make a difference. The chance to grow talent. The authority, the influence, the title. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
But here’s the wicked truth: Leadership isn’t glamorous. It’s gritty. It’s hard. It demands resolve.
You’re not just managing projects. You’re managing personalities, tight budgets, and relentless deadlines. That’s the easy part.
Try looking someone in the eye and telling them their job’s been eliminated. Or being pressured to downgrade an employee’s performance rating and having the guts to say no. Or standing firm on ethics, knowing it might cost you your career.
And after a day of back-to-back meetings, inbox chaos, and high-stakes decisions, you’re closing out with an employee sobbing in your office because someone made a comment about their hair.
Sound glamorous? Not even close.
So before you step into a leadership role, ask yourself: Do you have the ethics to do what’s right? The grit to stand your ground? The stamina to keep showing up?
Leadership isn’t glamorous. It’s guts, grit, and grace under fire.
And that’s the Wicked Truth!