Lone Ranger Leaders

About a year ago I posted about the leader as trailblazer. It is often the job of the leader to take people to a place they never thought of going on their own. As a result, leadership can be a lonely place. That leadership, however, should never be self-imposed. I love this quote by Ron Heifetz in "Leadership Without Easy Answers."

"The myth of leadership is the myth of lone warrior: the solitary individual whose heroism and brilliance enable him to lead the way... Even if the weight of carrying people's hopes and pains falls mainly, for a time, on one person's shoulders, leadership cannot be exercised alone. The lone warrior model of leadership is heroic suicide."

You can't go it alone. You have to have people alongside you both inside and outside your organization who can help you shoulder the weight of your responsibility. Leadership can be lonely; don't do it by yourself.