Sturdy.
It is – in my opinion – a woefully under-used word. And as someone who frequently rants about over-used words, a.k.a. buzzwords, I’m delighted to find an under-used word that’s so useful.
Sturdy.
Are you sturdy?
According to various online dictionaries, “sturdy” is usually applied to someone’s – or something’s – physical qualities: strong, unlikely to break, solid.
Let’s think about this from the perspective of a leadership quality, rather than physical.
A sturdy leader is someone you can rely on. They’re resilient in the face of challenges and problems; they’re unfazed by employees’ reactions. They’re consistent, firm, forthright, honest, and willing to admit that they don’t know – or that they were wrong – or that they’re uncertain and even worried or anxious about a particular situation. That said, they look at things from the perspective of how do we solve this, rather than finger-pointing or, worse, collapsing. They give credit where it’s due – to their team and the group effort.
They’re likely to lead motivated, engaged, and productive teams.
I just described every employee’s dream leader, didn’t I? But I sincerely believe that this is what it means to be a sturdy leader – a sturdy human, for that matter. It’s not about how strong someone is physically; it’s entirely about how … well, yeah. How sturdy they are mentally, psychologically, and emotionally.
Sturdiness is a quality we could all benefit from cultivating, whether we’re officially a leader or not.
How much do you think about who you are as a leader – your own individual leadership style? It’s an important conversation to have with yourself and with your mentors and the leaders in your life. You have an impact on people. What do you want that impact to be?