The Formation Digest

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You weren’t created to lead alone.

www.jltanner.com

You weren’t created to lead alone.

Serve your team. Be generous. Practice curious vulnerability.

Jeff Tanner
Apr 1, 2022
Share this post

You weren’t created to lead alone.

www.jltanner.com

There’s a book that sits on one of my shelves. I don’t remember where I got it. My guess is that it was assigned reading for a business or leadership class in college. Or maybe it was from my student government days. Regardless, I didn’t get the point at the time because I wasn’t in a position to really feel it. The book’s title? *The Lonely Whine of the Top Dog*

Now that I’ve experienced executive leadership and coached other CEOs as well, I feel it. Deeply. Leadership is lonely. “Top” leadership is the worst. We’ve created a culture of leadership that elevates us into impossible perceived perfection and isolates us through parasocial relationships. 99% of leaders don’t have a place where they can be real with others, and it’s hard to be real with yourself if others mandate alignment with impossibly high standards.

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