I just got back from the beach in Mexico. Gosh, I love it there.
As I called one particular chaise longue home for five days, I thought about what anyone would think about as they soaked up the sun and sipping Pina Coladas on the beach.
…leadership.
No, seriously. And yes, that probably makes me just a bit weird.
But specifically, what makes an effective leader…effective?
About 12 years ago, I got promoted from software developer to the Director of Information Technology in a day. It was the single biggest promotion I’ve ever gotten, and I totally wasn’t ready for it.
I had no leadership experience.
I had no management credentials at all.
But yet, I just got thrown into this leadership position.
And over the months of clumsily finding my way and discovering what it takes to be a leader, something occurred to me about this whole “leadership” thing.
Being a good leader isn’t just about “making the right decisions.”
After all, we’re only human. Sometimes, we screw up. It happens.
No, it’s about the willingness to make decisions at all.
Think about it.
Most of us are timid about big decisions, aren’t we?
In some cases, scared shitless.
We don’t want to be wrong. We don’t want to eat crow if the thing we decided to go after turns out to be the wrong thing.
Especially in front of a bunch of people who look up to you.
But here’s the thing…
Great leaders aren’t intimidated by important decisions.
Instead, they use whatever information they have at the time to make the best choice possible and then move forward with steadfast confidence.
If they’re wrong, they’re wrong.
Pivot, move forward again.
And hell, this is true in every facet of life, isn’t it? In the office and out of the office. If you can’t make decisions, you make it 10x harder to get rich.
Because wealth is often on the other side of…choices.
The number 1 reason that prevents people from making choices is the possibility of failure.
Here’s the truth: It’s okay to fail.
School taught us that failure is bad. But in reality, it’s a perfectly natural part of the process. Don’t be afraid of it.
Millionaires make choices that other people are too afraid to make.
While the majority are sitting on the sidelines waiting for the perfect, most blindingly-obvious choice to present itself, millionaires are on the damn field playing their hearts out, making mistakes, and trying again.
You won’t get rich by sitting on the sidelines.
Make 2024 the year you start playing.
You’re out there every day, doing the best you can, confident in the fact that most mistakes aren’t irreversible.
Instead, they are how millionaires got richer than they ever imagined.
Are you ready to knock it out of the park this year?
Let’s go!
