"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry."
Ernest Hemingway
What this quote communicate to me is the importance of how we practice leadership when those we are leading suffer a loss. To often we only associate leadership with winning or achieving a goal, but often there are time when we need leaders to guide us when we are facing defeat. A pastor may be called to lead a church which is in the process of closing its doors. As a chaplain intern there are time when I am called to help people who will not recover from their illnesses.
I think sound leadership recognizes that there can be growth that comes from loss and adversity, but not all losses lead to growth. Too often religious leaders can ask people who are suffering to look for the silver lining, or ask how God is using the loss to help someone. Many times we do this because we are uncomfortable in that we don't have answers to the question of why God allows us to suffer, and we come off as callous in not honoring what the person we are helping has lost.
I think in the context of leadership this quote also speaks to me about the importance of flexibility. Often leaders who are not willing to bend to the needs of different constituencies either become ineffective leaders or become personally overwhelmed.