Today, I had a chat with a friend and offered my opinion on his concerns.

Below is an approved excerpt.

“Three things to note –

First of all, things do not just start happening. People are always a start and a part of any change.

Secondly, leadership positions are designed to keep you fearful, so leaders can easily become biased to surround themselves with bearers of good news. But knowing what is wrong is a strength that should never be traded.
There are always people who know what is wrong, and people who feed leaders what they want to hear. Best to quickly connect with those who know what is wrong. 
But there is even another sifting required. There are optimistic and pessimistic bearers of what is wrong. The earlier group propels you and the latter buries you. Optimistic people see what is wrong for what it really is, and find ways to make it serve the team. Pessimistic people see what is wrong for more than it is, and find ways to make it a shared chain. Optimism and pessimism are self-fulfilling. Choose what you want to fulfill.

Lastly, there is explainable performance, and there is high performance. We can explain any performance, or we can choose high performance. There are always those that choose high performance in any team. Seek them.

Remember these three things, as you lead.”

The exchange was much longer, but this is what I can share.

I am thankful for conversations that put my thoughts before me for scrutiny.