My mama bear spirit surfaced this weekend. And, she was in full attack mode. Protective of her cub, the claws came out and the teeth were gnashed! And yet, my cub was fine...in fact, he was better than his mother.

How do we reconcile the "less than perfect" facets of ourselves with our vision of how we want to be? There are growing pains. Are we wrong to bring to light a perceived injustice? Or is it just the filter through which we view the situation? The deciding factor, in my opinion, is the effect it will have on our integrity, our authenticity and the people that we value. My lesson was two-fold - I know that I will do anything, or nothing at all, to support my children depending on their needs. And, once again, it was made clear to me that a relationship can only be forged, in any situation, from respect, trust and mutual collaboration.

Is it really any different in the professional world? As leaders, we must know when to support and when to allow our people to find their own way. More importantly, we need to understand that an empowering relationship is never based on position and/or authority, rather trust and rapport.