06 November 2006

Leadership and expectations


How can a leader satisfy others expectations?
There are often lots of expectations when it comes to a leader. If you take a look at who is expecting something from a leader, you start to wonder how one person can satisfy all those expectations. Lets be honest. The board of directors expects the leader to show the way, to keep the company alive. The board of trustees expects the leader to have himself advised. The shareholders expect that their shares will rise in value and they will receive a yearly divident. The colleagues of the leader expect him to be sound and honest. The employees expect that the leader will ensure their salary. The customers expect the leader to ensure that the products will be good. The government expects the leader to keep the company profitable, so taxes can be collected. The neighborhood expect the leader to honor their wishes for a save living environment. And then we have not yet addressed all expectations that surround the position of a leader.
As you see, leadership is accompanied by expectations from others. But it is not about the expectations of others. All it is about, is the expectations the leader has of himself. Does he expect to be able satisfy the expectations of others. And how important is it to satisfy the expectations of others, if you forget to realize your own expectations?
In the end it is more important te realize your own expectations, because that is where you find the energy. You will not find energy in satisfying others expectations. Of course it is nice to give others a pleasant feeling, by satisfying their expectations, but that will only be fun and energetic if that is what you expect from yourself.