Why So Serious?

Being Taken Seriously

Transitioning from a traditional team member to a team member with authority is a huge shift. So is stepping into a leadership position when you have no history with an organization.

Becoming a leader is serious business. It’s also a challenging position. Even more so when there’s a need to be serious.

Black and white dog with a nose and eyeglass disguise

Photo by Braydon Anderson

Many leaders when they step into their leadership position flip a switch. They go from the fun-loving coworker to the stern-faced boss.

This transition will turn out for the best! My will be done. My dream be accomplished!

Uhhh… Why So Serious?

Have you ever been led by one of those people described above? The one who lets their newfound power give them a big head? Maybe you were one of these leaders…

We all know leadership is serious business. We’re leading people and organizations and there are consequences to where and how we lead others.

Does this mean we need to become Mr. Serious (not to be confused with the X-Men villain Mr. Sinister)? Or can we hold onto some of our fun and joy we brought to the organization before we transitioned into a leadership position?

I know we can still have fun. We don’t have to be serious all of the time. We can joke, play, and enjoy our time as leaders.

So… why are so many leaders so serious?

People who transition into leadership become too serious for a multitude of reasons. These reasons for becoming serious may include:

  • The desire to be seen as an authority and not a peer
  • The belief leaders don’t have fun
  • The manifestation of their doubt about their leadership skill
  • The thought they need to be better than everyone else

To many, these may seem like valid reasons to become more serious. After all, leaders are leading and guiding people. They have to make tough decisions. Why wouldn’t these reasons to be serious be used?

If you look at the reasons I listed, they’re not very fun. They’re also rooted in fear.

This is no place to lead from. Leaders who lead from fear will often destroy an organization before they’re done. They will dismantle what was once built and leave a crumbling organization.

Over the next month, we’re going to take a look at how you can be taken seriously as a leader while still having fun so you’re not leading from a place of fear. You don’t want fear, right? You want to lead well. This journey will be interesting, to say the least.

Question: What have you seen happen when a leader wants to be taken seriously so badly he changes? Share your experience in the comment section below.

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