The imperfect leader seems like a contradiction. Incongruent.

Yet we often see leaders limit themselves because they refuse to own their imperfections. Coaches who compromise their power by getting involved in affairs with employees or blurring boundaries with students in their academic communities. Pastors, priests, and teachers who make similar mistakes. Politicians lying, misleading, or denying their errors.

Imperfections are not condemnations or declarations of idiocy. The denial of them usually leads there, though.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt.

Repeated denials lead to repeated lies and repeated secrets. Secrets often lead to shame. Shame leads to more denial. And the cost? Energy that should be devoted to positive flow or problem solving.

In The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks likens this to a pebble in a hose. Eventually the flow wins; but not without damage. Results suffer. Energy and focus shift to the wrong things. Everyone involved ends up frustrated, wondering what’s wrong with them.

Owning your imperfections becomes easier when you have the maturity to acknowledge them — and the discipline to minimize them.

What do you need to acknowledge to step out of that river in Egypt?
What problem do you need to own in order to solve it?

We can help you own your imperfections. Our Amazingly Imperfect Brain keynotes, trainings, and one on one coaching will help you maximize the amazing and minimize the imperfect.