Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building and GOLA GV.
Speaker 1: This is the Seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Speaker 1: Paul Fellowaledo. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Seven Minute
Speaker 1: Leadership Podcast. It's episode five thirty two. Today we're going
Speaker 1: to explore something I call the leadership paradox. On the surface,
Speaker 1: leadership looks simple. You lead in people follow, But in reality,
Speaker 1: leadership is full of contradictions paradoxes that if you don't
Speaker 1: recognize them can crush you, but if you do, they
Speaker 1: can sharpen you into the kind of leader people trust,
Speaker 1: respect and want to follow. So let me give you
Speaker 1: a few example of these leadership paradig paradox Number one
Speaker 1: confidence versus humility. A leader must project confidence, especially in
Speaker 1: uncertain times. People look to you for reassurance and direction.
Speaker 1: But if you let that confidence turn into arrogance, you
Speaker 1: will lose the room immediately. That's where humility comes in.
Speaker 1: Great leaders know how to say I don't know, but
Speaker 1: I'll find out. They know how to admit mistakes. Confidence
Speaker 1: makes people believe in you, Humility makes them connect with you.
Speaker 1: And the paradox is you need both at the same time.
Speaker 1: Paradox number two control versus empowerment. Leaders are expected to
Speaker 1: maintain control to ensure standards are met and that the
Speaker 1: mission is achieved. But here's the truth. The tighter you
Speaker 1: grip control, the less effective team becomes. The paradox is
Speaker 1: that true control comes from giving control away. Empowering your
Speaker 1: people to own their decisions and their results actually gives
Speaker 1: you more influence, not less. Paradox number three speed versus patients.
Speaker 1: In leadership, you need to move fast. Decisions can't linger forever.
Speaker 1: But at the same time, the most important things like
Speaker 1: building trust, creating culture, and developing people cannot be rushed.
Speaker 1: The paradox is knowing when to push the gas pedal
Speaker 1: and when to ease off. Leaders who confuse urgency with
Speaker 1: impatience destroy teams. Leaders who confuse patience with procrastination stall progress.
Speaker 1: In Paradox number four, strength versus vulnerability. This one surprises
Speaker 1: most people. Leaders must be strong enough to make tough calls,
Speaker 1: stand up to pressure, and protect their people. But if
Speaker 1: you never show vulnerability, if you never let your team
Speaker 1: see that you're human, you create distance. The paradox is
Speaker 1: that showing vulnerability doesn't weaken your authority, it strengthens it.
Speaker 1: Your people don't need a robot at the helm, they
Speaker 1: need a human being who understand struggle. In paradox number five,
Speaker 1: tradition versus innovation, a leader must respect the traditions and
Speaker 1: history of their organization. That's where identity and culture live.
Speaker 1: But at the same time, leaders are called to challenge
Speaker 1: the status quo, to innovate, and to lead their teams
Speaker 1: into the future. The paradox is balancing the two without
Speaker 1: alienating one side or the other. Respect the past, but
Speaker 1: don't get trapped in it. So here's the big takeaway.
Speaker 1: The leadership paradox is not something to be solved, it's
Speaker 1: something to be managed. If you're looking for clean, easy answers,
Speaker 1: leadership will frustrate you. But if you can embrace the
Speaker 1: tension of these paradoxes confidence in humility, control and empowerment,
Speaker 1: speed and patience, strength and vulnerability, tradition and innovation, you
Speaker 1: unlock the true power of leadership. So your job is
Speaker 1: to live inside of these tensions, to know when to
Speaker 1: lean left and when to lean right. That's the art
Speaker 1: of leadership, and that's what separates average managers from extraordinary leaders.
Speaker 1: So the next time you feel that tension, take a
Speaker 1: deep breath, don't panic, and just recognize it for what
Speaker 1: it actually is. It's the leadership paradox at work. This
Speaker 1: has been the seven minute Leadership Podcast and I thank
Speaker 1: you for listening. For more Paul fell of Alito Podcasts,
Speaker 1: visit paulfellowalito dot com.