The timeless adage states that tomorrow never comes, because it is always today.
Tomorrow offers endless possibilities, if we could only get our act together today.
Sometime we do, but mostly we do not, making it easy to feel discouraged.
Leadership is often looked upon in the same way.
There is an idealized image of leadership that tends to take it out of the reach of mere mortals, reserving it for the likes of Alexander the Great and Abraham Lincoln.
Nowhere is this leadership gap spoken of more frequently than in business.
Most executive succession plans highlight the need to develop the leadership of the current and future cadre of managers and executives.
However they define this elusive concept of leadership, it seems to be in short supply.
The problem is that we are looking at it the wrong way.
Rather than measuring ourselves or others against an unrealizable concept, like "tomorrow," we need to focus on becoming better leaders one "today" at at time.
I have coached many executives throughout my career, some of whom are at the helm of large and sophisticated businesses.
Yet when you look at their developmental needs, leadership is often mentioned.
Not because they are weak or bad leaders.
To the contrary, their leadership skills enabled many of them to outdistance the competition and rise to the top.
But because leadership is a journey, there is more work to do, tomorrow and the day after that, and the day after that.
My message is simple.
Leadership is not an absolute concept that is unattainable.
It is a process whereby we get a little bit better each day.
The goal is not to become a great leader, but to become a better leader tomorrow by focusing on a plan today.