Why Leaders Fail- Risk Aversion

Why Leaders Fail -Risk Aversion
Leaders on the verge of breakdown fear failure rather than desiring success. Past victories create pressure for leaders: "Will I be able to sustain outstanding performance?" "What will I do for an encore?" In fact, the longer a leader is successful, the higher his or her perceived cost of failure will be.
When driven by the fear of failure, leaders are unable to take reasonable risks. They limit themselves to tried and proven pathways. Attempts at innovation — key to their initial success — diminish and eventually disappear.
Which is more important to you: the journey or the destination? Are you still taking reasonable risks? Prudent leadership avoids reckless risk, but neither is it paralyzed by fear. On many occasions, the dance of leadership is two steps forward, one step back.
Warning Sign- Ethics Slip
A leader's credibility depends upon two qualities: what he or she does (competency) and who he or she is (character). Deficiencies in either quality create an integrity problem.
The highest principle of leadership is integrity. When ethical compromise is rationalized as necessary for the "greater good," a leader sets foot on the slippery slope of failure.
All too often, leaders see their followers as pawns — mere means to an end. As a result, they confuse manipulation with leadership. Such leaders rapidly lose respect. To save face, they cease to be people "perceivers" and become people "pleasers," using popularity to ease the guilt of lapsed integrity.
As a leader, it's imperative to constantly subject your life and work to the highest scrutiny. Are there areas of conflict between what you believe and how you behave? Has compromise crept into your operational tool kit?