Please note, the following thread is a result of general COVID-19 lockdown musings on leadership. It's not a subtweet of any person or org. Don't try to add meaning/intent where there isn't any. But I suspect it's generally applicable...

<I didn't write this thread about you.>

I'm starting to think that a lot of org challenges stem from people in leadership positions who are too scared to do anything hard, or don't have the stamina to persist through difficulty. So they make whatever decisions are easiest for them, personally, and protect their jobs.

Perhaps folks ended up in leadership because they wanted more money, power, or both. What they get is a title + a series of difficult choices. They need discernment, trust, stamina, intuition, persistence, strategic thinking, relationships. Much more than hustle and politics.

Being indecisive, taking the easy way out, or just "moving people around to try something new" hurts other folks in the org. Especially those lower on the org chart. If it affects engagement or job satisfaction, it causes turnover. Which makes a big problem worse.

Leadership is difficult. It can also be extremely rewarding. But the hard parts are constant. This seems to hit me when I'm brushing my teeth in the morning, and my mind wonders to a particularly difficult problem. I think to myself, "Why would anyone want to be in charge?"

I love my job, my team, and our business. But I'll never pretend it hasn't been, and won't continue to be, the greatest challenge I've faced so far. I can't imagine what it's like for someone who's conflict-avoidant or prone to skate by with minimal effort. Yet...

I suspect there are some folks like that who have ascended to leadership positions via ... inertia? And then I worry about what that sort of "leader" does in a recession.

(It's my first recession in a leadership role so hoo-boy I'm looking forward to lots of lessons.)

When organizations need strong leadership the most, are there some who will just fall apart, shrink away, or disappear? What does that mean to employees and their families? We can't risk that. Our industry can't risk that.

But I'm afraid it could be reality for some orgs.

I think over the next 6-18 months we'll see tangible artifacts of effective and ineffective leadership, and its ripple effects through our industry, friends, and families. Maybe then we'll realize orgs need more than an MBA, strategic plan binder, and/or VC funding to succeed.