Real Relentless Leadership
I was in a career and existential crisis a couple of years ago, at the end of a miserable hour and a half commute home when I picked up the phone and called my friend Will.
“You’ve known me for almost twenty years. My coach told me to ask someone who really knows me to describe me in three adjectives. How would you describe me, Will?”
Long pause.
“Relentless,” he declared. I can’t remember the other two.
During one of my typical 3am solo brainstorming sessions last night I started repeating that word, “relentless, relentless, relentless…” I can’t tell you why. And I wish I could tell you it helped me go to sleep. It didn’t. But it did spark this question:
What makes a relentless leader, and is striving to be one a noble aspiration?
Relentless leadership can take many forms and can shift day to day, hour by hour. I believe what it boils down to is how the leader honors the self and others in ways that lift households, teams, companies, communities, states, and nations.
Here are 50 ways plus two extra that you can bet make you a relentless leader, regardless of your stature, station, or celebrity.
curious humble listening empathetic coaching creative open-minded problem-solving trying experimenting communicating asking mentoring discovering searching learning caring laughing wondering fixing trialing questioning collaborating connecting befriending seeking exploring considering discerning self-aware mindful forgiving delegating designing envisioning selling respectful improvising dot-connecting expressive ethical modeling appreciating nurturing brainstorming raising the bar championing acknowledging getting feedback purposeful imperfect growing
curious humble listening empathetic coaching creative open-minded problem-solving trying experimenting communicating asking mentoring discovering searching learning caring laughing wondering fixing trialing questioning collaborating connecting befriending seeking exploring considering discerning self-aware mindful forgiving delegating designing envisioning selling respectful improvising dot-connecting expressive ethical modeling appreciating nurturing brainstorming raising the bar championing acknowledging getting feedback purposeful imperfect growing
The Relentless Leader
Relentlessly curious
Relentlessly humble
Relentlessly listening
Relentlessly empathetic
Relentlessly coaching
Relentlessly creative
Relentlessly open-minded
Relentlessly problem-solving
Relentlessly trying
Relentlessly experimenting
Relentlessly communicating
Relentlessly asking
Relentlessly mentoring
Relentlessly discovering
Relentlessly searching
Relentlessly learning
Relentlessly caring
Relentlessly laughing
Relentlessly wondering
Relentlessly fixing
Relentlessly trialing
Relentlessly questioning
Relentlessly collaborating
Relentlessly connecting
Relentlessly befriending
Relentlessly seeking
Relentlessly exploring
Relentlessly considering
Relentlessly discerning
Relentlessly self-aware
Relentlessly mindful
Relentlessly forgiving
Relentlessly delegating
Relentlessly designing
Relentlessly envisioning
Relentlessly selling
Relentlessly respectful
Relentlessly improvising
Relentlessly dot-connecting
Relentlessly expressive
Relentlessly ethical
Relentlessly modeling
Relentlessly appreciating
Relentlessly nurturing
Relentlessly brainstorming
Relentlessly raising the bar
Relentlessly championing
Relentlessly acknowledging
Relentlessly getting feedback
Relentlessly purposeful
Relentlessly imperfect
Relentlessly growing
A little optional homework assignment, if you’re up for it:
I’ll guarantee someone in your team, company, family, friend or social group needs to hear how you appreciate their leadership today.
Send them this post along with the numbers of the 3 relentless leadership qualities for which you admire them.
They might not be asking for it but they’ll definitely get a boost from receiving it.
KNOW AND GO.
