What does it mean to be jaded?
Jaded is what happens when the harsh realities of leadership crash up against the ideals of your vision. The jaded leader has lost their enthusiasm for the future because they begin to question whether what they are doing really matters. I’ve been there, and trust me, it’s a tough place to inhabit. At some point, your jaded soul leads you to a crisis of belief. It’s a profoundly existential moment when you pit everything you believe to be true up against the ugly reality of a broken world. But I have learned that leaders with the most longevity know the secret sauce of how to win this battle every time. Since I know your leadership will inevitably come across this as well, it makes sense we take a minute and discuss practically how to deal with this part of the journey. If you can’t get up every morning and fight against this monster, it’ll eventually cause you to walk away from the very things you once loved.
I find it best to fight this monster in the mornings before I start the day and, in the evenings, before I go to bed. At the start of each day, remind yourself of your successes and say them out loud to yourself. It’s a little weird but trust me it works! Next, you must remind yourself of why you are leading, because if the reason is true, it’s worth getting up every day and taking up the charge to move it forward. Lastly, don’t run and hide from the jaded monster at night by jumping into a streaming binge, or doom scrolling on social media. The beast will wait until you are finished and then go in for the kill once you’re too tired to fight back. You must keep vigilant. If you keep answering the bell day by day, the spirit will eventually leave you alone…for a while.
Take five minutes and consider: Where have I let the jaded monster turn my truth into lies? Am I losing my ability to love and lead because the jaded monster has told me that it just doesn’t matter?
IT’S TIME TO FIGHT BACK!
Let your love for what first got you on this journey lead you to the truth: What you are doing matters! Your team is following you because they believe in you. Everyone fails occasionally, but that doesn’t mean the next win isn’t right around the corner. Time to kick some jaded butt.
Now Go Lead
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