“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”
– John Maxwell, with kudos to my friend, Chris Albrecht for dusting off one of my favorites…
Adjusting the sails. Now that right there is a concept we can all get, and keep our arms around, if we’ll just quit complaining long enough.
There are elements of all three — pessimist, optimist and leader — in all of us, so the key to leveraging this little bit of advice is to be intentional.
The wind will, in fact, blow most days. Metaphorically, when it doesn’t leaders have to tack their way to outcomes, but that’s as nautical as I’m going today. Back to the wind, where was I….oh, yeah, it’s gonna blow. And it might frequently change direction. How will we respond?
Think of a time at work when you rode it out, waiting for the headwinds to cease or the cross winds to die down. You just kept your eyes on the horizon, and waited until the time was right to make something happen. Perhaps easier, think of a time you complained about HQ, or an employee, or a client or a supplier, or a process, or a rule or a policy or — well, you get the point… Complaining does not move anything, unless of course it turns someone’s stomach. And complainers don’t get a seat on the Difference Making Bus. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease?” Nein! The squeaky wheel gets replaced, retired or repurposed. (Think boat anchor…)
Being aware of the winds, though, and sensing when they’re going to shift, and having the sails set just right, just as the breeze catches them to move you along — that’s intentional leadership.
Aware. In the moment. One eye on the long run. One eye on the signs of shifting winds. Ready. Prepared. Intentional.
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