The Pieces of You

Managing people is an illuminating art. It sheds light on your strengths and weaknesses. It makes your insecurities rise the surface.

You're asked to lead and perhaps you imagine yourself walking calmly through an open field with a team of adventurers loyally following behind you, even if their steps are cautious. In reality, at moments you find yourself trying to wrangle in people who want to stay right where they are while also trying to catch up with a few who are already ahead of you potentially  running in different directions. 

Being a leader in many ways is like putting yourself in a room surrounded by mirrors on all sides. Each way you turn, you bump into some part of yourself. Each person you are responsible for represents some part of you and you're charged with balancing all of them at once.

The one who says, "we've always done it this way," is your fear of change. The one who says, "let's try it this way," is your curiosity about what is possible. The one who lashes out when things aren't fair is your love of justice. 

The task is to listen to all of them because of course their voices have value. It is then through listening within the context of the larger goal that you can determine which voices to cultivate.