What it really means to be at the top of the food chain

I know many of us believe that, the bigger our role within an organization, whether as a top leader or business leader, the easier life gets. It always seems that all the top CEO’s and business men are always golfing, and that is what we aspire to do. We want to be at the top and then our lives will be sorted.

Nothing is more of a lie than this myth. I quickly learnt this in my first real leadership role. Whenever you are promoted to a top job, it comes with increasing responsibility and expectations. There is more demand placed on you to get you to optimum performance and to lead your team to achieve their objectives. In any real organization, leaders at the top and middle feel this intense pressure.

As a business owner, you have to deliver on financial objectives. You have to worry about the future of your organization and work harder than everybody else, because only you carry the burden of your own vision. You have to keep clients happy, manage your employees, build a business network, and generate cash flow to meet your business needs and pay your employees.

If you aspire for a real top leadership position as an employee or business owner, you better be aware of the real demand and stress that comes with the territory. As much as Donald Trump flies around in private jets, he has investors, shareholders, business partners, political big wigs, bankers, clients, employees and a family that he has to keep happy. The pressure on his level is unimaginable. Not to mention keeping track of billions of dollars. Search yourself; are you really ready to rise up to such a challenge? Does it excite you and inspire you? Is there a fire in you every time you think about it? If that is the case, follow it with all you heart, it is a not a task for the meek or feeble. You were born to lead.