To keep my sanity, I periodically meet one-on-one with other leaders. The therapy is easy to describe: There's comfort in knowing I'm not alone.

It would be easy to keep discussion focused on positive results—but do leaders lose sleep over good news? "If everything always goes well, then anyone can lead the place," is a truth that should appear on an annual thank-you to an organization's leader. Yet we press on.

To help stimulate "real" conversation with a leader from another church, company, or organization, use the following universal leadership dichotomies as discussion primers. At the end of your time together, you will feel relieved to know that you are not alone.

Open door vs. Strict boundaries
How much unscheduled access to my time should I give? Too little creates unhealthy distance between a leader and volunteers, while too much hinders a leader's productivity.

Encourage to success vs. "Change now or get fired" At what point does a staff member need to know the temperature ...