

5. You also have to cope with people who have not moved on. A leader is always dynamic, while organizations tend to be static. When the vision and the movement of the leader do not mirror the vision and movement of the organization, they're out of sync with each other. We call that tension a lack of organizational congruence or alignment. Carly Fiorina's vision of merging HP and Compaq caused a great deal of organizational tension. She had to battle employees, shareholders and even the board members. Her vision was out of sync with the organization. When you have moved on and your organization has not, you have to figure out who is going to take the journey with you and who is not. You have to think about where you're going and who can help you to get there.
6. It's also important that you find people who can give you new perspective. The most productive time of a new employee in any organization – secular or sacred – is the first three months. After that, they do not add the same value. In the first three months, they give you perspective by questioning the way you do things. They might say, "Didn't I just fill out a form that asked me for this same information?" They find redundancies, they look for duplication, and they look for ineffectiveness. They find more effective ways to do things, they bring new ideas with them. After three months, they know survival involves falling in step, so their DNA becomes that of the organization. When I was president of a college and hired people, I always had a conversation with a new employee and their supervisor. I'd bring them together on the first day and encourage the new person to ask questions and tell the supervisor not to be threatened by the questions. I'd tell them that those questions will help us to reconfigure and reinvent ourselves, and help us to make improvements. New people bring a perspective that others cannot give you because they see things at another level. Whether they're internal or external, you'll be able to recognize these change agents immediately by the fresh perspective they offer your organization.
7. It's equally important to have people you can be transparent with. As you rise in leadership, it becomes increasingly difficult to find people you can talk to about your inner issues. There are fewer and fewer people you can be transparent with, reveal your fears to, and have them listen to your concerns. Since these are not issues you can talk about with just anybody, you need a few people in your life that you can talk to. Chances are that the people you had conversations with two years ago may not be the same people you'll be having conversations with in years to come. Why is it so difficult to find people to talk to? It's because the stakes are higher. When your landscaping company was just two men and a truck, you could talk about anything while you're driving down the road. But when you have 10 trucks and 100 employees, you're not going to talk to everyone about the equipment you're going to buy, about your plans to leverage your business, or about who you're going to let go because they're not working out. There are fewer people who understand the reality of your position. You can find a lot of people when you're are at the two-men-in-a truck level. But you're going to have fewer people available when the organization expands. It really can be lonely at the top – but it doesn't have to be.
8. You should also find people who can celebrate your successes. The Scriptures tell us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Unfortunately, people find it easier to weep with those who weep than to rejoice with those who are rejoicing. Let's say that while both of us started organizations at the same time, your organization took off but mine is struggling. It's very difficult for me to have the type of relationship with you where I can celebrate and rejoice with you. You want people who will say, "Yeah man! It's great that you're doing well!" You want people who can be the wind beneath your wings, who can cheer you along, who won't get jealous or envious, who won't disengage from you because you're doing well. You want people who can help you celebrate your journey.
(Taken in part from: What's Shakin' Your Ladder by Dr. Sam Chand)
If you enjoyed this article you should strongly consider the following book as it expounds fully on this area of Leadership.
Ladder Shifts
Sample Chapter Here
No leader is immune to the shifting circumstances and events that can challenge or stymie their professional or organizational progress. Advance warning of these oncoming storms, together with adequate preparation, can mean the difference between disaster and success.