Friday, June 3, 2022

Leadership is hard at times

good read from today's "Daily Stoic" -
"Harry Truman was a tremendously unpopular president. Just look at the decisions he had to make during his tenure: dropping the Atomic Bomb. Twice. The Berlin Airlift. The Korean War. Desegregating the Armed Forces. Nationalizing steel mills during a labor strike. Firing corrupt IRS officials taking bribes.
As a leader, or as someone aspiring to leadership, it’s important to know this going in: You will not be showered with praise for doing the right thing; you will not be given the benefit of the doubt for making hard, but necessary, choices.
On the contrary, the knaves will twist your words to make a trap for fools. You will be attacked. You will have your motives questioned. You will not be appreciated. Not now, maybe not even until long after you’re gone (like Truman eventually was) or ever (as Marcus Aurelius underrated-ness attests).
But should this stop you? No, it should not. It cannot. Because you must do what is right, what is best. For you and for those who need your leadership.
We do what’s right because it’s right. Because we are the leader. Because it is our duty. The rest doesn’t matter."

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