Statues

Statues freeze-frame a moment, locking it in time and space.  They are simply representations of a real (or imagined) moment in life, but they are not LIFE.

Leadership, rather, is a contact sport which requires LIFE.

Some leaders try to insulate themselves from the potential negative consequences associated with living boldly by:

• Distancing themselves from bad news. 
• Placing layers upon layers of bureaucracy between themselves and customers.
• Talking persistently in bland and diluted platitudes.
• Avoiding ownership in decisions.
• Scapegoating anyone or everyone else when things go badly.

Some of the best and wisest leaders I know, however, breathe LIFE into their work and the work of those around them in these ways:

• They boldly lean into rather than away from a vision of a better future for all.
• They notice and acknowledge the hard and risky work of those who "lean into" that vision with them.
• They focus intently on what's going right and only spend time on what's going wrong in the interest of righting it.
• They talk continuously in ways that make those around them feel emboldened, supported, and energized as they stay in the fight for betterness.

Statues need not apply.