I came across a great phrase in one of the books I have been studying this week. The book is The New Know by Thorton May and it states, “The future is going to be messy.” Essentially the road ahead is going to have potholes, dips, and sharp turns which we must be prepared to navigate. Thinking that tomorrow will be just like today and hoping that nothing will change is not only naïve, but greatly limits our ability to step toward our potential. The future will require us to ask difficult “what if” questions (messy), agonize over decisions (messier), and make mistakes (messiest!).
Great leaders have the ability to assess a situation and ask “what if” things were different? “What if” we implement a whole new strategy? “What if” we stop doing things that are comfortable and stretch ourselves? “What if” we focus on doing good for others instead of merely taking care of ourselves? What if? Asking this question is considered by May to be an “evolutionary advantage,” which quickly becomes a competitive advantage as organizations become fluid, agile and early adopters of new methods and practices. At the end of the day, the early bird does, in fact, get the worm.
Another thing great leaders do is make decisions. Note that I didn’t say that they always make the right decisions. Sometimes they make awful decisions, but then realize it and make it right. One of my favorite old-school motivational speakers was Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, and in his book, Life is Tremendous, he describes one of the laws of leadership as the ability to make a decision, then make it right. Some people fear that their decisions will be wrong, so they become paralyzed with fear to the point that decisions are never made. Circumstances go from bad to worse, simply because they are unable to put into action plans which they hope will help their organization, but can’t implement because of the fear of failing. Great leaders overcome this and get moving, even if they aren’t absolutely certain of the outcome. As Jones stated, “Make a decision, then make it right.”
Finally, the messiest part of the future is the reality that any time new trails are being blazed, mistakes are going to happen. Not every decision is going to work out as planned. But, as May states,
The next economy will belong to those who can make the best mistakes in the most appropriate environment and learn the most important lessons from them. Disciplines that are not allowed to make mistakes cannot grow. Learning happens when we make mistakes.
Notice that the emphasis in this leadership trait is the ability to learn. Great leaders are able to make a learning opportunity out of even the most disastrous situations. Nobody likes to make mistakes, but they are necessary for growth. Imagine how many of the world’s greatest achievements would not have happened if the inventor, entrepreneur, or leader wasn’t willing to take the risk of making some mistakes on their way to history-making discoveries. As leaders, we must be willing to do the same.
The future, and especially getting to the future, is going to be messy. However, if we are going to lead our organizations forward, reach our potential, and touch greatness, we have to be willing to ask “what if?,” make hard decisions, and make mistakes. The more we do all three, our organizations will become stronger and the better leaders we will become. Go out and ask a question, make a decision, and make a mistake!
Lead well.