— To follow is a bullet of wisdom on leadership. It comes from Tom’s rifle, named Shot, who has seen it all. You’ll get the drift by clicking Blog in the menu at www.tomnewhouse.com. —
“IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, you are planning to fail.” Ben Franklin said that. Well, I could say the same thing about hunting. As rifle, I have seen too many hunters come home defeated. And that happened most often to those who did not plan ahead. They were hunting but not purposefully, not ready for contingencies, not equipped for their surroundings, and not practiced for critical moments. Yep, they were hunting and failing.
I’ll bet you know leaders like that: They have the title and play the role, but they don’t amount to a hill of beans. They are ill equipped, they lack purpose, and their development only gets them through routine events. Leadership—real leadership—is tough. With only a moment’s notice you have to make momentous decisions or take actions that will produce success or defeat. The answer: Plan ahead. Anticipate challenges and get training. Recognize that distractions will come; so, anchor yourself to a purpose. Know that obstacles will surface; have a strategy. In short, prepare to lead.