They are Map Makers.
They don’t wait for others to tell them what to do.
Seems obvious, doesn’t it; but, when your sole job is to fit in, you stop thinking and wait for someone else or something else – the market – to tell or show you the right way.
No one wants to fail. Indeed, every measure inside a company rewards success. But therein lies the problem: at some stage you have to do something different; and inherent in that change of posture is the likelihood of failure.
Change hangs in the air, always. Some people relish the opportunity that that brings, but most of us dread it. It’s part of who we are and the reason why some people end up going on holiday to the same location for 30 years!
Very few of us can’t envision something different or better.
But we wait.
And wait some more, hoping that someone will come along with a detailed map, showing the way.
But leaders, visionaries or entrepreneurs don’t operate in this way. They find a way, even if it means lots of wrong turns. It’s not that they are betting the house – although a few have been known to set fire to a few (stable) bridges – but rather there is this overwhelming desire to make a difference.
So that’s the challenge?
Are you a Map Maker or just a compliant cog waiting on instructions?