John Maxwell once said that “The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.” If leaders could be more forthright with their everyday lives, I’m convinced we would all be in a better space.
Sometimes it is as if most people just react to situations. The other day I was chatting away with a group of acquaintances. They talked endlessly about how life was just happening to them and they were “doing the best they could.” I absolutely believe that they were doing the best they could. But, one person complaining about situations that had long since transpired and that there was no way to get beyond most drama-laden situations. It was a sad point that was made and we all felt her pain. But, I thought to myself: How might she look at life differently?
Sure, some people turn to the other extreme and find ways to look at the positive side of everything. I admire people consistently who find the good in most life situations like I do. It’s great that many people see the chance for improvement around the corner and ready themselves for it. But, to Maxwell’s point: Is expecting change enough?
What is most meaningful about a leader who “adjusts the sail” is that he or she neither sits idle complaining nor expects the situation to change itself. A leader jumps in and makes the change. He or she becomes the change. While I don’t purport to have the solution for every leader’s success, the seven principles in Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success offer proactive solutions.
If leaders start with a vision and interject some backbone along the way adjusting the sail, I think they will be on their way. The bottom line: It’s not how leaders look at life situations but about how they leave a legacy and make a difference not just cheering others on.
-Dawn McCoy, author of Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success
