Are you trying to make it happen?
I’m a doer; most leaders are. In our culture we look to our leaders to get things done. Leaders who don’t get things done are often pushed to the sidelines, because “we need results.” Longer résumés are much more impressive than short ones, right? Actually, I am starting to believe that our incessant need for outcomes often pushes us to force results when maybe we should be willing to wait for a minute. The ideas that “something is better than nothing” and “if I don’t do something no one else will” can be problematic. Honestly if we begin to understand our general proclivity for making mistakes, then we would probably be better off not doing something more often than trying to get something done. The leader doesn’t always have to be the one to make it happen.
Reflect on this: How many times has “making it happen” gotten you into a worse situation instead of improving things? You have a moment of crisis in your life, a relationship breaks, your faith feels tested. Does your urge to “make it happen” increase in times of crisis or organizational chaos? You find yourself saying “I need to do something, or this is not going to end well!” Take five minutes and consider the entirety of your life; your job, your most important relationships, your journey through life, and maybe even your past three months. Are you here because you’ve been patient and wise or is your life more a result of you striving to just “make it happen?”
Maybe it feels a little counterculture, but nothing might be exactly what you need right now. What your followers might perceive as mild insouciance can actually have a profound demonstration of maturity to know when doing nothing is better than trying to just make something happen. Here are some questions to ask in these moments:
- Do I absolutely need to act right now, or am I feeling panic?
- Can I be ok with waiting until I have greater clarity about how to move forward?
- By acting, am I possibly stopping someone else from having an opportunity to elevate?
I dare you to take a few minutes this week to be idle. No phone, no email, just a moment of pure meditation. Remind your heart and your soul that you can lead with authority often by doing nothing at all…
Now Go, Lead
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Comments (1)
Daniel Riziksays:
February 4, 2025 at 8:46 amDoing nothing when something needs to be done (at least in my head) always gets me into panic mode, and interestingly, this is brought up in this episode because I have been thinking about the same. Now I know I have to use the pause button more often than the push button. Or at least stop and think before moving forward, that would give time for others to step up as well