Remember the Team

“Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Leaders can see farther than others see, dream higher than others dream, and climb faster than others climb. However, if we reach the top only to turn around and find ourselves alone with no one at our side, we are not a leader.

We simply took a walk alone.

John Maxwell taught me, "The bottom line in leadership isn't how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others."

This can be the struggle of leadership sometimes. We want to go far, and we want to go fast. We are focused on the future, but we never bring our eyes back to the present. We often never create a flow of communication around the WHY of getting to this new and future goal.

I often coach leaders to come back down and try to reconnect with their team after they have left them behind. In John Maxwell’s book The 5 Levels of Leadership, he teaches that in level two, we must build relationships. This is the permission level, and we must earn the right to lead others before they will be willing to go with us to the stars.

When I focus on the quote this article began with, keeping my feet on the ground reminds me of the relationships I must build. As a leader, you can never achieve all you want to achieve without the help of others. As John Maxwell says “teamwork makes the dream work.”

Keeping your feet on the ground doesn’t mean you quit striving. It means, remember the team. Remember the ones who help you achieve your big dreams. Take them along with you; it will be a less bumpy ride.

“Some people enter our lives and leave almost instantly. Others stay and forge such an impression on our heart and soul that we are changed forever.” - Unknown

This is the kind of leader I want to be, one who leaves a great impression on others; and I am sure you do, too!

How do you do this? Keep pressing forward, keep looking high into the sky. Go after your dreams, goals, and desires; but remember to keep your feet on the ground, and take people with you.

Celebrating a victory is more fun with others than it is alone. And knowing that as you have grown, others have grown with you is one of life’s greatest rewards.

Leadership LIFT Exercise

What are your WIG’s…your Wildly Important Goals?

Make sure you write them down. This brings them into focus.

Which ones require the help of others?

Whom do you need to inform of these goals?

Are you striving for these goals alone? Are you telling others what to do instead of casting the dream together?

What relationships do you need to mend before you can move forward with your dreams?