It's easy to lead in good times. Sometimes all it takes to be perceived as a strong leader is to just be in the right place at the right time and take advantage of the opportunity at your feet.

But true leadership is demonstrated when someone makes tough choices, tradeoffs, or takes a courageous stand when times are tough and uncertain.

Yesterday, The New York Times ran an article that talked about workplace stress. It is not new news to say that the biggest source of stress on the job can be your immediate supervisor. Nor is it new news to say, as Dr. Sutton is quoted as saying, "The pile of evidence coming out shows that if you want to be an effective organization or an effective boss, you've got to strike a balance between humanity and performance."

We have known this for years - whether we admitted it or not. What IS new is that maybe, just maybe we are ready to practice what they know: To understand that sustained high performance is intimately connected to working with our humanity. We cannot continuously perform well if we are not happy, healthy, respected and trusted.