What does it mean to be peerless? It's a word that's coming back into fashion. David Attenborough is a peerless nature advocate and educator, Steve Jobs was considered a peerless corporate leader. Nadal was recently reported as being peerless in his tenacity, and possibly deservedly so.
Being peerless may be considered an incredible achievement, it takes innovation, tenacity, and hard work, but is it something you should really aspire to be?
Being peerless can put you in the professional spotlight, critiqued and challenged by your team. Though powerful and often lucrative, it can leave you in a vulnerable position when you don’t know anyone at your level that you can trust or depend on. Being peerless can also indicate you are high-performing in one aspect of your life. As a professional leader, it may mean there are some holes or gaps in your personal and spiritual well-being.
As a professional leader, it may mean there are some holes or gaps in your personal and spiritual well-being.
As leaders, even if we are in the top 1% in our field, we don't strive to be separated from others or be peerless. We don’t strive to be isolated or make decisions alone.
For many of us, having peers who we can professionally trust and depend on is more desirable than standing alone at the top. Having quality people at your level around you who understand your challenges, call you out when you look like you are making a poor decision, and lean in when you need support.
Is the opposite of peerless, peerful?
LeaderImpact is an organization built on local peer groups of leaders who are looking to develop personally, professionally, and spiritually so they can make a positive impact in their community. If you'd like to know more, come check us out at LeaderImpact.com
