Take My Breath Away

“Take My Breath Away” is such an interesting phrase. It can be used in a positive

sense, like at a marriage proposal, a stunning view, or when someone performs a

seemingly impossible feat, or in a negative way like a gut punch, physically or

figuratively. Sadly, the latter seems more prevalent in the workplace, but sometimes

both happen at the same time.

Take for instance this one mid-level leader who was currently up for a promotion

that would not only move him to a higher level of influence but also position him, given

his new rank, for greater impact across the organization. Everyone knew he would get

the promotion so much so that the senior leadership had moved him to a position

requiring the grade he would soon achieve. He couldn’t believe all that was happening,

especially being congratulated by everyone he encountered which genuinely “took his

breath away.” He thought to himself, this is an awesome day!

The next day, however, turned awesome into awful, transforming his beautiful

dream into a burdensome nightmare. His senior leader came into his office to tell him he

was not selected for the promotion. It definitely took his breath away in a most negative

way. It was like giving a well-deserved gift and snatching it away at the same time. It

was a breathless moment and even worse, he knew all eyes were on him. No

congratulations on this day, few words of comfort from colleagues, most everyone just

stayed away speaking no words at all. He felt like a leper amongst the living. Forced to

press on and take it in stride, there was nowhere to run and hide his damaged pride.

He stood, front and center, holding a position that belonged to a person of higher

rank than he. He thought to himself what did I do to deserve this reality. Professional

shame and emotional pain weighed on him. “What am I to do?” he thought to himself,

and like a cool blast of air on a hot summer run the word “lead” pierced his thoughts.

Instead of taking people’s breath away by wallowing in self-pride, taking his

frustration and anger out on those around him, or self-pity, making everyone else

miserable in the process, he chose to lead. He let the fodder of failure feed his desire to

lead well, even in the midst of personal struggles. This is what authentic, transforming

leaders do. They make every moment good or bad count for something, and people

take notice.

People notice when a leader does what is unexpected. Some struggling leaders

badger, belittle, and bite people taking their breath away negatively; transforming

leader’s work through and learn from struggles, as they lead by example benefiting and

building up their people. By the way, a senior, five levels up, said these words to the

mid-grade leader, “I’ve never seen a person get passed over, and never miss a beat like

you did. Your response is both commendable and breathtaking.” People do notice!