Leaders Set Direction.
Once upon a time, a group of soldiers became lost in the Alps. They were hungry and disoriented.
They argued about which way to go, but in the fading light, every peak looked the same. The soldiers had no chance of surviving the night in the freezing temperatures.
Suddenly, there was a miracle. One of them found a map sewn into the lining of his kitbag. He plotted a route and marched them briskly back to base.
Later, when they were warm and well-fed, the soldier looked closer at his map. It actually was of the Pyrenees – hundreds of miles away.
It’s like the old saying – when you’re lost, any old map will do. Leadership entails vision and direction.
If you don’t know where you want to go to – and if you can’t communicate that direction effectively – then you have no right to ask people to join you on the journey.
What vision do you have in your leadership and have you communicated that direction effectively or do you cajole people your way?