I turned 40 this past Saturday and was enlightened by a number of experiences. My Uncle Mike sent me an email that said, "It's fun going up the hill, but don't go over the hill." Thanks Uncle Mike, but how do I know when I am at the top?

In my two previous posts, I mentioned that leadership often requires the ability to balance sometimes opposing characteristics. In Part 1, I touched on the balance of Courage with Humility. In Part 2, I talked about the balance of Strength and Vulnerability.

The third set of characteristics that I believe is required of a successful leader is the balance of being Demanding with being Empathetic.

In my recent blog post, Courage and Humility: A Balancing Act of Leadership Characteristics, I mentioned that leadership often requires a unique balance of sometimes opposing characteristics. In Part 1,  I spoke wrote about Courage and Humility.

The second set of characteristics that I believe is required of a successful leader is the balance of strength with vulnerability.

Climbing at 19,000' in Ecuador

Just because you have the title of "leader" doesn't make you are a leader. And just because you don't have the title of leader doesn't mean you aren't a leader.

People are called upon to do many things - both inside and outside of the workplace. Those who have the courage to do the right things, especially when the right things are difficult to do, deserve the title of leader.
Consider the following:

Leaders are called upon to do many things, and those things often conflict with each other. They require a unique balance of sometimes opposing characteristics.

The first set of characteristics that I believe is required to be a successful leader is the balance of courage and humility.

We all perceive the world according to our own reality. The experiences we have had in the past and the experiences we have today all create the perceptions that we hold about other people. Those perceptions influence our biases (and we all have biases), which in turn influence our behaviors.

Sometimes our biases are so ingrained that we don't even know they exist.

To be successful leaders and successful team members we have to become aware of our biases and how they influence our interactions with others in the workplace.

I think one of the most important characteristics of successful leaders and people – regardless of their role – is that they embrace change.

It’s not good enough to just be comfortable with change. It’s not good enough to just recognize that change happens. That breeds complacency and comfort.

People who embrace change thrive on uncertainty. They do not need every detail to make decisions. You rarely hear them say, “as soon as (FILL IN THE BLANK) happens, I am going to (BE HAPPY, DO THIS, ACHIEVE THAT, FILL IN THE BLANK) .