This is the Number One Mistake Most Leaders Make

June 21, 2021

Good morning! What improves community improves health. (Tilstra)

Happy Feast of Saint Fathers’ Day! And, happy first day of astronomical summer. And, Happy Birthday #63 to my faithful reader, Mike. There is ample evidence to suggest the Brown Thrasher is the consistent aggressor when encountering a Grackle… counterintuitive.

According to a source there are ~722,000,000 parking spaces in the United States.
- Not sure if these spaces are all hard surfaces, include individual residences, include Hawaii and/or Alaska, or whether, for example, a portion of Wyoming has been thus designated.
- At the very least, it would seem we have enough parking spaces — on average.
- That’s where averages are deceiving… it doesn’t matter that we have enough if you can’t find one when you want it — or if they’re all in Wyoming and you’re stranded in Utah.

This is not to promote Eli Lilly, but it’s apropos to something I’ve been working on — and it’s well stated from Indianapolis, IN:
- “An economy can’t be healthy if its people aren’t.”
- “A person’s ability to work, think, take risks, get up early, stay late, invent, discover, trust, and believe is all made better through health.”

And, a similar subject with a different perspective:
- “Don’t hold on to your pain and wait for it to work itself through — instead, get up and do something.” (Emerson)
- Might simply be the difference of a century-and-a-half.

As we were in attendance at our youngest granddaughter’s christening this past weekend the thought occurred: She is a seventh generation Minnesotan.

Recently at a public watering hole a woman went out of her way to express what appeared to be genuine happiness.
- Asked why, she sang a verse of gospel music and told me about her three children and her role as a single Mom.
- It was a poignant moment of peace not lost on this thirsty soul.

The number one mistake most leaders make?

Failing to ask for help. Especially true when we maybe realize it least.
- “Somehow we’ve come to equate success with not needing anyone. Many of us are willing to extend a helping hand, but we’re very reluctant to reach out for help when we need it ourselves. It’s as if we’ve divided the world into ‘those who offer help’ and ‘those who need help’. The truth is we are both.” (Brown)

Want to make better decisions?
- Share the load = delegate.
  - Ensure your organization has a well-defined, widely understood protocol — and vision;
  - Clearly define roles and responsibilities;
  - Invest in capability-building — and coaching — up front;
  - Build an empowerment-oriented culture;
  - Decide when other managerial archetypes are appropriate. (DeSmett, Weiss, Hewes, 2021)
    - Or, as we at Without A Vision Consultancy put it: Increase the likelihood of success by putting systems in place.