So what does career management have to do with leadership? It’s a lot harder to lead if you’re not in the right job fit. One of the best ways to excel as a leader is to choose the right context.

Here’s some of the best conventional wisdom I use with myself and others when it comes to charting out a career path – or just making a change.

Accept Responsibility

At the end of the day, your career is your responsibility – in every aspect. If things aren’t going well, you aren’t loving it, you haven’t been promoted or if you can’t land the job you want – there is only one person you can ultimately lean on – yourself. That’s why Stephen Covey’s first habit is “be proactive.” It’s tempting to pass the blame to parents’ expectations, lack of support from an alma mater, a unreasonable boss or lousy employer. Accept responsibility. Your career is your career.

Follow Your Passion

Passion doesn’t come from the head, it comes from the heart (tweet). If you don’t care about what you do – or the why behind the what – you do yourself (and everyone else) a huge disservice. We’ve all encountered doctors, teachers, pastors, business professionals or service workers who clearly lacked passion – and it showed in their work. At the end of the day, fulfilling work is still work – so do the work upfront to identify and pursue what you are uniquely passionate about.

Consider Your Options

I spoke with an Air Force general a few years back who told me he routinely encouraged younger service members to consider leaving the military. “You encourage them to leave??” I asked. “That’s not what I said,” he replied. “I encourage them to consider leaving. When staying becomes the mindless choice, it’s never the best outcome – both for the person or the service.”

Zig Ziglar used to say, “People don’t know what they want because they don’t know what’s available for them.” The Heath brothers encourage finding many possible options to avoid choosing between only A and B. There are more opportunities available today than there ever were before in human history. If you’re having trouble identifying possible options – that’s your next homework assignment.

Speak Up!

In Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, author Kevin Carroll recounted an experience right after joining the Air Force where he realized he did not want to be an MP. In a moment of desperation, he interrupted a very formal lecture to volunteer for another assignment. It ruffled feathers, but he was granted his request. Often the times we need to speak up most are the times it would be easiest not to (tweet). So speak up – your career depends on it.

Make a Goal (and a Plan)

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Career aspirations needs to be written as goals with a plan to accompany them. Don’t skip this step because it feels like a drag. Come up with some short but specific SMART goals, and make sure to include target dates. Incorporate an Individual Development Plan so you’ll be prepared.

Embrace the Grind

If you still follow all these steps, you’ll still fail at this last point if you neglect to do the work. Career success doesn’t come easily or automatically. Be willing to sacrifice for it. Get up early. Cut out less important activities. Temporarily put some aspects of your life on hold while you push forward. Take Dave Ramsey’s advice and “Live like no one else so that someday – you can live like no one else.” Without sacrifice, there is no reward.

I’ve always felt that if I am going to spend the best years of my life working, I need to invest it as wisely as possible. After all, every day is precious. As I’ve progressed, I’ve also realized what career success looks like for me is often very different than for others. But I can also tell you every bit of hard work has been worth it.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

That being said, continuous improvement isn’t easy and it doesn’t happen by itself. It requires the active involvement of as many people as possible… which brings me back to the question: how do you think about continuous improvement?

I’d like to share three questions I’ve found helpful when considering continuous improvements. I believe they work in just about any setting. Here they are:

Does the Customer Care?

Any customer centric organization ought to consider the customer experience implications of all both new and existing processes first and foremost. What does the customer think? Keep in mind, your customer may not care about many of the particulars; what internal system you use, who makes the decision, or whether you use FIFO or LIFO inventory accounting. Customers care about speed of service, ease of use, price, quality and support (for starters). If an existing process (or new initiative) doesn’t improve at least one aspect of the customer’s experience, that should raise a red flag – why are we doing it?

Does it Add Value?

Just because a customer doesn’t care, doesn’t mean a process inherently lacks value. The challenge is to build a case for it. Remember value is the difference of benefit and cost. Any time we eliminate one of the seven types of waste, we automatically increase value. The same is true for new initiatives. If a new idea adds more waste than benefits, it creates a net value deficit.

Think of an assistant who takes handwritten notes at a meeting. Then he types them and sends them to the meeting attendees and files the handwritten copies away. What is the value in taking and keeping the handwritten notes? The customer certainly doesn’t care. And if the notes can be produced (and reproduced) soft-copy right off the bat, it will save time and free up space – both of which have value. It’s a simplistic example, to be sure but it underscores the fact that opportunities for continuous improvement can come from virtually anywhere.

Are You Compensating for Someone Else’s Inaction?

Sometimes when we encounter problems, it’s easiest and time-efficient to address it ourselves in the moment. In the short-term. But unless we get to the root of the problem, it’ll just come creeping back up again. The leader’s role in this situation is to create clear cut areas of responsibility – and maintain the accountability to follow-through together as a team. It’s the difference between constant firefighting and a team commitment to “first time, right time, every time.” It’s easier said than done, but that’s true about most leadership responsibilities.

Remember, continuous improvement isn’t about cutting costs to their bare bones. It’s about creating value that can be shared by all the stakeholders of an organization. At the very least, it can help give your organization gain a comparative advantage over your competition.

What continuous improvement initiatives are you working on right now?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.

One of the first mistakes we often make is assuming that the person in charge is always the leader. Then, when it turns out they aren’t, we give up. But what if leadership doesn’t have anything to do with having a title? In that case, it would be possible to have an organization filled with leaders at every level.

So how can we tell who the real leaders are? Here’s a start. Real leaders do each of the following – and then some:

Take Responsibility

Great followers do what they’re told. Leaders take initiative and responsibility for solving problems. Have you ever tried to resolve a problem with someone who told you, “that’s not my job?” Contrast that with a person who went the extra mile to resolve your issue, or at least get you pointed in the right direction. Which one will you prefer to work with in the future? There’s no substitute for having defined processes, but leaders gain influence each time they take responsibility.

Have the Courage to Take Risks

One of the reasons people are so reluctant to take additional responsibility is their fear of consequences if things don’t work out. In unhealthy organizations, this is a legitimate fear. But leaders don’t take risks for just for the fun of it – they understand the differences between blind risks and acceptable risks – and they accept the responsibility to take the appropriate risks at their level. At some point, someone has to make a decision. It’s always easier to push risk up the organizational chart, but organizations tend to reward those who are willing to manage risk themselves. Leadership always requires courage.

Collaborate

In today’s information age, collaboration isn’t just a nice sentiment or corporate buzzword that goes in and out of vogue. It’s an organizational deal-breaker. Leaders are aware of how their part fits in the context of the larger picture – and they go out of their way to anticipate who needs the information they have. Then they work proactively to make that information available.

Develop Others

I got to work on a project with the FBI once and I will never forget what the Executive Assistant Director told us one day. She stated that the organization needed leaders who were good at… making other people look good. This flies in the face of the assumption that leadership is 100% about individual performance. A high performer who can’t develop others will soon be leading a low-performing team – and won’t be doing it for long.

True leaders don’t wait until they are in charge to develop others. They constantly look for ways to help others improve – or to make something better for everyone.

Set a Positive Example

Unfortunately, the best examples of positive behavior don’t always come from the top of the organizational chart. But people can’t help but take notice of a worthwhile example, no matter where it comes from. Leaders understand they are never too unqualified to set a good example – and that includes a good leadership example.

Create Positive Change

The whole point of leadership is change. If things were good enough the way they are, leadership would be unnecessary and irrelevant. Change is difficult to initiate and harder to sustain. There are often many barriers. But leaders don’t let what they can’t do prevent them from doing what they can do. And what they can do is enough.

It’s not easy being a leader. If it was, everyone would be doing it. But it matters – for individuals, teams and organizations as a whole. So if you are trying to figure out who the real leaders are, start looking for these factors. If you are trying to determine if someone is a leader, look for past evidence of them. And if you are trying to become a leader, this is a great place to start.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

There’s no question that leadership isn’t easy. But when done right, it’s always worth it. When the stress becomes overwhelming, it can be helpful to take a step back and consider the reasons we took the leap in the first place. Here are some of the common ones.

Today Isn’t Good Enough

When everything is as it should be, the need for leadership doesn’t exist. As the saying goes, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. But when we catch a vision of a better future – combined with a conviction that someone ought to do something to make it happen – that’s usually when we enlist. Leadership isn’t about positive feelings, it’s about creating positive change. And that means getting our hands dirty in the process of creating a brighter future. The clearer the picture, the more likely we are to sign up.

We Can’t Get There Alone

If we could create the future we want by ourselves, we wouldn’t need others to follow us. It’s only when the work becomes more than we can accomplish on our own (as is usually the case with anything worthwhile) that we need to enlist others to help us get there. But they aren’t following us per se – they are joining us in pursuit of a better future.

You’ve probably noticed a difference in people aspire to lead in order to take responsibility for creating change and those who just want to be in charge. No one wants to follow someone who only wants a title. There’s no dignity in being a pawn for someone else’s agenda. But when we give people the opportunity to do what they do best to create a future they believe in, the possibilities are endless.

We Want to Become Something More

Zig Ziglar liked to say that each of us is endowed with the seeds of greatness. At any rate, most of us probably feel like we’re capable of something more. That’s usually a factor in why we take the plunge. It’s true that leadership is a process and it’s not always a pretty one. But the wise ones know that who we become along the way is more important than what we accomplish. Or how good it looks or how long it takes.

The Next Generation Matters

There’s a lot of talk these days about the “next generation.” But most of us would agree that we ought to leave things in better shape for those who come behind us. The next generation could the incoming class of students, this year’s interns or the high potential group. Or it could literally be the next demographic generation – or your even own children. The bottom line is that these people matter. And they won’t get where they need to go on their own. The sacrifices we make and the responsibility we take can make all the difference for them.

Leadership expert and former colleague Robert Thomas noted that sometimes events conspire to make us a leader. The circumstances we’re in may not be the result of our choices, but they may provide a unique opportunity to make a difference. Leadership isn’t easy, but many times it’s necessary. So when the going gets tough, take a moment to remember why you got started.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

The interesting thing about coaching is how dynamic of a leadership role it is. Supervisors can coach. Mentors can coach. Peers can coach. Executive coaches can coach (obviously). Just about anyone can coach at one time or another.

Whether you have the opportunity to be coached or to be a coach, let’s take a look at six things coaching leaders do that set them apart.

Coaches Don’t Set the Agenda

Leaders must be proactive, which means taking responsibility to set the agenda in leadership situations. But coaching leaders are most concerned with the developmental process of the leader he or she is supporting. That means allowing the the other person to take responsibility for determining the desired outcomes – and then working together to create a strategy to reach them.

Coaches Focus on the Future

Counselors often focus on understanding or interpreting the past. Coaches, on the other hand, focus on helping to create the future. The past is over and done with – it can’t change. Coaching leaders don’t get sidetracked wading through past experiences of others. They help them focus on the future they want to create.

Coaches Listen

Listening is hard work. If you don’t think so, practice active listening the next time someone walks into your office. In most conversations, we either don’t pay attention, listen with preconceived biases or simultaneously try to come up with solutions while the other person is talking. Coaching leaders have mastered the art of listening for the sake of understanding so in order to maximize the quality of their dialogue.

Coaches Ask Questions

Questions are the anecdote to unsolicited (or in some case, solicited) advice. It’s not that advice is bad, it’s just that advice often short-circuits the development process in others. Following someone else’s advice is a lot easier than exercising critical thinking. It’s also easier to avoid taking responsibility if the advice doesn’t work. Even when they have great advice, coaching leaders start by asking powerful, open-ended questions to give the other person the chance to come up with their own best solution.

Coaches are Action-Oriented

Nice conversations are nice, but ultimately fruitless. Action-oriented conversations drives change. Coaching leaders demonstrate value to others by helping them take their ideas and translate them into action items. They do this by helping them make a decision or choose a direction among multiple options. Another way is by helping to craft SMART goals and clarify next steps.

Coaches Give Responsibility

Taking responsibility is Leadership 101. Giving responsibility is Leadership 102. Think about the difference. When we take responsibility, we develop ourselves. When we help someone else take responsibility, we develop them. It’s often easier to take responsibility for outcomes by providing quick direction and then moving on to the next thing. Giving responsibility – and supporting the other person along the way – takes more time and more effort, but that’s where true leadership growth happens.

If you want to help others succeed, you’ve chosen a noble pursuit. But that’s not enough. You’ve got to work at it – and it’s hard work! But the reward is always worth it – especially when you find that the leaders you’ve coached start coaching others.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

So I want share with you a few simple ideas that all young people (as well as the rest of us) need to hear about leadership. I encourage you to share them with the young people you know – either with this post or more importantly, with your own words. Here they are.

You Don’t Need to Be Special to Be a Leader

I didn’t really think much about leadership growing up, but if I did, I probably assumed that “leadership” was reserved for a special group of people: the popular, charismatic or privileged. The problem with that assumption is it lets the rest of us off the hook. We all have a responsibility to ourselves and to the people around us to make wise decisions, develop the character that can stand the weight of unpopular opinion and have the integrity to do the right thing even when there are no foreseen consequences. This isn’t just my opinion; this is essentially the universal prerequisite for effective leadership at most of the organizations I’ve worked with.

You Don’t Need a Position to Be a Leader

Leadership is about influence, not a title. Sure, it’s easier to get some things done when people have to do what you say. But giving orders doesn’t require any leadership ability. Having responsibility without authority – now that takes real leadership. And in my professional experience, there are just as many of these kinds of leaders as ones who hold special positions. In fact, it’s also usually a prerequisite. So find ways to influence, motivate, persuade and develop others now. Don’t wait until later.

You Don’t Need Followers to Be a Leader

The purpose of leadership is to create positive change for others. So just because no one is following you doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do to make a positive impact. Think of something you can do to benefit a group of people: solve a problem, improve a process, share a good idea, meet a need. Then act on it. Then do the same thing again, but invite someone to join you. Repeat the process. As you are successful, your influence will grow.

You Don’t Need to Be the Best to Be the Leader

This is a common misconception among young folks. But the best coaches are rarely the best former athletes. The highest performers don’t always get the promotion. The students with the highest GPA don’t always land the best jobs. You need to be competent, but there are smart people everywhere. The folks who are usually given the most authority are the ones who get along well with others, put the team before themselves, are good at making others look good and take an active role in developing the skills, capacity and confidence of the people around them.

You Don’t Need to Wait to Become a Leader

Many young people are timid because they are young and inexperienced – and they know it. But I say: don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Why not? Because you are never too unqualified to set a good example. Don’t wait for permission. You don’t need it.

At the end of the day, leadership isn’t about me. It’s not about you. It’s about us. And it’s about them. It’s about accepting the responsibility to take the influence we have and use it to set a good example by making positive changes for those around us. Not everyone is up for the challenge, but the position is open. And there is no age requirement. You don’t need to apply. When can you start?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

At the end of the day, the organization is going to do what it’s going to do, right? So maybe a better question is: why do we even have core values?

We’ve probably all come across sets of core values that were easy to make fun of or were too vague to impact anyone. But well constructed, specific core values can add tremendous benefit both to organizations and individuals. In fact, here are three ways I’ve seen this happen.

Drive Culture

Every organization is driven by a number of things. Hopefully there is a clear purpose that all stakeholders know by heart. Customer value creation ought to drive action. If your organization is a company, earning a profit ought to be at least one of the drivers. But none of these should come at the expense of core values. Each driver should align and core values should empower the organization to move forward.

Wouldn’t you prefer to work in a values-driven organizational culture? Imagine what could happen in an organization without values. A quick look at the news and you’ll see many examples.

Influence Mindsets and Behaviors

As most of us have observed, nearly every organizations have a set of core values. Sometimes they even get talked about, which a great step. But how often are they referenced or recalled? To take it a step further, how often do they invoke personal change?

If your organization has core values, they need to be part of the corporate conversation. Then you’ve got to relate them to the way people think and act in the context of everyday situations. Point out when the values were present. “Our team did a great job demonstrating ________.” Use values-oriented language to assess future work. “Here’s an opportunity for our team to demonstrate _________.”

Over time, common language begins to turn into common mindsets and common behavior.

Guide Decision-Making

In any organization, there are many leaders who operate at many levels. The temptation for new or risk-averse leaders can sometimes be to push the difficult decisions up to the next level. Once this happens enough times, the leaders at the top start wondering why they have to solve every problem and make every decision that comes their way. What’s the point of having leaders if they don’t take responsibility, they wonder.

That’s where organizational strategy comes in. That’s where training comes in. And that’s also where core values come in. These are the tools every leader ought to be able to use to make the decisions appropriate for his or her level.

Core values enhance leadership responsibility by helping to guide decision-making.

So the next time you look at your core values, ask yourself what difference they make in your organization. If that answer is “not much,” it may be time for a refresh. Or it may be time to simply speak up.

What difference do your core values make?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

So when I called up a friend who had been associated with the organization this man had led, I couldn’t have been more shocked at what he told me.

“I’m taking a class from so-and-so and it’s really great!” I said. “Did you know him?”

“What??” my friend replied. “You’re taking a class with the boob-grabber??”

“Wait.. what are you talking about?” I sputtered.

“Yeah, he got busted for sexual harassment a couple years back and they gave him the pink slip.”

As soon as I hung up the phone, a quick Internet search confirmed my friend’s claims.

What do you think: did my opinion of this man change?

I’ll go ahead and answer: you bet it did! I was sorely disappointed for one reason. I had expected this man’s leadership character to match his leadership competency. When I found out that it didn’t, I knew I could no longer consider him as a leader worth emulating. I could still learn from him, but ultimately I couldn’t view him as anything less than a bad example.

So what can you and I do to make sure our legacy stays in tact?

Be Humble

I once met with a CEO of a regional bank and found that my seat across his desk was significantly lower than his seat so that I had to look up at him when I spoke to him. It felt as ridiculous as it looks in the movies. And it really seemed to be an intentional message that he was the far superior person in the room.

Author Mark Miller says there is really one question to consider as a leader: are you a serving leader or a self-serving leader? In other words, are other people a means to an end for you or are you in it for them? If we feel we have to convince people that we are better than they are, they may follow us temporarily when they have no other options, but that will be it.

Increase Your Accountability

I’ve heard stories about married leaders who never spend any one-on-one professional time with a member of the opposite sex other than their spouse, even though it can sometimes create a hassle. That’s always seemed extreme to me, although in my college  instructor’s case it would have saved him a lot of grief. But I do know that when it comes to accountability, as leadership authority increases, the standards for ethical behavior should expand, not retract.

When the Founding Fathers of the United States created a limited government with many checks and balances, it was because they understood firsthand the human tendency to abuse power. Don’t play above the system. Look for ways to demonstrate that you operate above reproach, whether it’s in the way you handle relationships, the company credit card, time away from the office, etc.

Treat People the Way They Ought to be Treated

Obviously treating people right goes above and beyond simply not harassing them. All people deserve to be treated with honor, dignity and respect, regardless of their status, position or demographic. If you are a leader, are people more likely to succeed because of you? Do they know where they stand with you and do you make sure they have the resources to get their jobs done and become more in the future than they are today?

Maya Angelou famously stated, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”

There are many outside factors that will affect your leadership legacy. But don’t let what you can’t control keep you from what you can control. When your work is finally finished, your legacy is all you’ll have left.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his new ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website  or follow him on Twitter.

If you follow college football at all, you might have been surprised when Kansas State University climbed to #1 in the BCS Poll at one point this football season. After a disappointing loss to Baylor, they’ll compete with Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl on January 3. When I was in high school, several of my teammates traveled to Manhattan, KS to partake in Bill Snyder’s summer football camp. They came back with raving reviews. My college team is actually the University of Kansas, but it’s impossible for me to ignore the powerful leadership foundation – and results – KSU head coach Bill Snyder has instilled in his program since 1989, when he took over the “worst NCAA Division 1 football program on planet Earth.” Whether or not you are a KSU fan, a football fan, or a fan of athletics at all, I believe there is something powerful each of us can take away from Snyder’s 16 Goals for Success. I’d like to share them with you.

Please don’t miss the most important lesson I take from Snyder’s 16 Goals for Success: that success starts with commitment and ends with responsibility (Tweet). And then there’s the inclusivity of leadership in goal #15 that EVERYONE can set an example.

You can read about Coach Snyder’s goals in his own words in his book They Said It Couldn’t Be Done. Here’s the list:

1. Commitment

2. Unselfishness

3. Unity

4. Improve

5. Be tough

6. Self-discipline

7. Great effort

8. Enthusiasm

9. Eliminate Mistakes

10. Never give up

11. Don’t accept losing

12. No self-limitations

13. Expect to win

14. Consistency

15. Leadership

16. Responsibility

For more information on Coach Bill Snyder’s 16 Goals for Success, visit the official website here.

What are your goals for success?

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.

As enthralled as I was with the presentations, one poignant leadership lesson stood out which I knew I’d have to eventually share.  It came from a story Richard Melhart relayed to us.  Melhart was an American survivor of the Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking in 1986 in Karachi, Pakistan which resulted in 22 fatalities and over 150 casualties.  It was a horrific ordeal and ended with the passengers fleeing the plane through emergency exits as the four hijackers began an all-out assault following failed negotiations to acquire a new pilot for the grounded aircraft.

According to Melhart, the survivors stayed in the airport until the next morning when they were boarded onto a new flight since the one that had been hijacked was a connection for most of the passengers.  Imagine getting back on a plane that soon after such an experience!  After the passengers were reboarded, a group of mental health professionals entered the aircraft to deliver a message, and that is what I want to share with you because it has such a huge implication for resilience in the face of tragedy.  Here are the four things they shared, with my commentary:

The responsibility for recovery is your own. You have the power to overcome.

When adversity strikes (as it does for all of us), many times we have a tendency to focus on what happened to us instead of what we can do about what happened to us.  The ability to overcome isn’t out there.  It’s in here, where we control our response.  This is where I’m reminded of Viktor Frankl’s immortal words: “between stimulus and response, man has the freedom to choose.”

Get back to normal quickly.

Taking time off can allow emotional trauma to fester.  This is one of the unfortunate realities we see with soldiers returning from tough overseas employments who are expected to immediately use all the leave time they’ve accrued and can’t find a productive way to employ their abundance of free time.  Activity aids the healing process.

Tell your story often and as soon as possible. Then write it down. In this way you will treat yourself.

When we recount and record our experience, we are forced to interpret it in our own words.  We openly acknowledge the damage that was done – perhaps to others, but more importantly, to ourselves.  We cannot change or heal what we do not acknowledge.

Realize there will be a way to use this situation positively at some point in the future.

Once again, this is speaks to the heart of Viktor Frankl’s message in his book Man’s Search For Meaning, which he wrote upon surviving the atrocities of the holocaust in Auschwitz.  Frankl believed that life is not primarily a quest for pleasure or power, but a quest for meaning.  Meaning can be found in many places, including (and sometimes especially) tragedy.  What a waste of an experience that was acquired at a high price if it cannot be employed to benefit others!

In no way do I want to hold myself up as an expert in overcoming tragedy.  My experience is nothing like the experience of anyone involved in the Pan Am flight 73 hijacking (or any other hijacking).  But it is a fact of life that everyone will experience adversity at some level.  As a leader, your ability endure to the end depends on your ability to overcome.  There are many examples of “one and done” leaders who eventually broke under the pressure of adversity.  The resilient ones are the ones who carry on despite the scars.

Nathan Magnuson is a leadership consultant, coach, trainer and thought leader.  Receive his ebook Trusted Leadership Advisor by subscribing to his website or   follow him on Twitter.