Scripture
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin.” (Zechariah 4:10)
Thought
Over the month of November we’re going to take a deep dive into the principles of leaders who last. Back in January we released the book Stay The Course: Five Transformational Principles of Leaders Who Last. If you haven’t picked up a copy, this month will be a great time to do so. (There are also hours of bonus video content available for FREE with the book as well as our guided workbook with team discussion questions.)
In this book, we study sixteen elite leaders and their path to the top of their profession. What we uncover is that their journey often looks the same as yours and mine. Full of setbacks, delays, frustrations, rejection and failure. It takes a rare mentality to stay the course in leadership life. In the month of November, we will unpack the five principles to build the stay the course mentality and get a running start on the year 2022.
Principle #1: Start Small
Leaders who last aren’t afraid to start small. One of the loudest indicators of leadership immaturity is the idea that we can skip steps on this journey. The truth is, we must crawl before we can walk and walk before we can run. That may mean starting at the bottom of a corporation in the call center. Or starting with the long-term substitute role, or as the volunteer assistant. Or it may mean going back to the fundamentals of personal leadership in time management or organization (more on those in 2022). Study the path of any elite leader and we will surely see seasons in which they were mastering the basics. Working away in obscurity.
We know there are no guarantees when we start small. There is no certainty in this journey that we’ll get this thing turned around or get the promotion or be named the senior leader someday. A transformational leader doesn’t need guarantees, they just need opportunities. The goal isn’t titles and status anyway, the goal is to get the most out of our abilities.
We know if we’re faithful with what we have, we’ll be entrusted with more. It takes courage and resolve to choose the unbeaten path. Transformational leaders love the unbeaten path. It’s in the blazing of trails we form character transferrable to many other endeavors and future opportunities.
If we’re honest we don’t really want to start small. In our own lives we’ll spend months studying diets before committing to the plan. We’ll research workout plans and workout clothes and gyms and all that before actually breaking a sweat and building our fitness. It’s easy to assume there is some mystery or complexity to all this. We can stall waiting for the missing puzzle piece instead of just diving in and hitting the ground running.
We can’t keep sitting around and waiting until we’re established. It’s time to lead with what you have, where you’re at. It’s time to start small with the most clear next step. The outcome down the road will be what it may. The satisfaction is in taking the risk and getting in the arena.
What dreams and projects are you not starting because you feel the timing isn’t right? When will the timing ever be right?
Do you truthfully believe you will be entrusted with more if you’re faithful with what you have?
Is your personal character development a good enough consolation prize for you if your dreams don’t pan out?
Call to Action
Don’t coast to the end of 2021. Head over to staythecourseleaders.com/book and start your transformational journey. Tap into hours of free video content and guided reflection questions.