Dangerous Leader: When you’re feeling lost as a leader

The last three headlines of the bimonthly editions of the Harvard Business Review chart a course: “Why it’s so hard to keep growing.” “Ask smarter questions.” “Embracing Gen AI at work.”

Each headline is a titillating invite to get bigger, get more curious and expand your technological tool set. And these big ideals can leave a leader feeling a bit lost in this big world of leadership.

Advice is everywhere. Business books, podcasts, journal subscriptions, courses and webinars are a steady stream of knowledge that is always available.

You can consume leadership development in about 100 forms at any moment. It can make you feel like one of those silver balls in the pinball machine. Bouncing from one to the other, not knowing exactly how much bang for your buck you will get.

Art of the possible

I have a hard time wanting to read or follow what everyone else is when it comes to professional development.

I read the first few paragraphs of Cheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” and Leaned Out. I never got past the cover page of Jim Collins’ “Good to Great.” Simon Sinek can keep wondering why in whatever form he desires. I am sure Gary Vee is the messiah everyone claims; I just don’t feel that tug of excitement.

The cult-like following of some of these media turns me off. It’s not that I doubt their validity; I doubt the idea of a single book capturing Leadership.

My doctorate is called a Doctor of Executive Leadership. I read a lot about leadership in my studies. I loved studying leadership at the doctoral level. Instead of always looking for the correct answer, we sought ways to challenge the ideas, find their gaps and determine what could fit them. I had found my people when I started that program.

It is how I teach and train today.

I encourage the leaders I work with pursuing their bachelor's in organizational leadership to question their current version of the experience against what they are learning.

I train the leaders in my industry in different ways to find the best way to do what needs to be done. When I taught corporate leaders how to apply entrepreneurial tactics in their environment, I asked them to paint the art of the possible.

There is no blueprint, map or instruction book for leadership -- not a single one for everyone.

Dangerous leaders know that feeling lost is not necessarily a bad thing. Because it means we get to take a little from this book, a little from that podcast, and maybe a dash from that mentor we admire.

And because we keep building knowledge, we get to pull on that knowledge when we need to evolve in our leadership approach.

Keep reading. Keep listening. Keep getting lost in the knowledge and the questions it brings. Seek the evolution you need to be the leader you need to be in the moment you are in.

Live Dangerously, Be You.

Jennifer Smith is a Cedar Rapids-based personal and executive coach, host of The Dangerous Leader Podcast, and unapologetic optimist. Comments: jennifer@dangerousleader.com; @drjennsmith