I know people in leadership positions who believe in taking big risks. They are visionaries, painting big pictures in broad strokes. They are dramatic; they are bold. They put everything on the line, follow their passion, trust the universe.
These people are like those athletes for whom an entire game, an entire season, comes down to one play.
These people lead in ways that attract our attention. They are mesmerizing. It is all or nothing. We cannot take our eyes off of them.
I have learned from some of these people. They help me see the big picture. They help me recognize that leadership is not a matter of doing the right things in the right order.
The leaders who inspire me show me that even dramatic leadership comes from doing small things well.
They show me that leadership does not happen because we do enough things right, earn enough points. Their leadership is not about avoiding mistakes, it is about practicing and learning small things well, then putting the pieces together.
Leadership is about nuts and bolts.
I went to law school with a vision painted in broad strokes. I learned a lot about the law in school, though my picture of my career remained a big one. I saw myself becoming a great trial lawyer, righting wrongs and fighting for justice.
It was after completing school, when I began to practice law, that I began to see how to be an attorney. I began learning how to do the small parts of practicing law well.
I still practice putting the pieces together.
If you would like to work together on that, let’s talk.
When did you begin practicing to become who you are today?
What are the small things you will do well today to become a stronger leader?
[Image by Bludgeoner86]
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