Trailblazing

I read this at a farmhouse I visited recently, and it really stuck with me: Don’t go where the path may lead, go where there is no path and leave a trail so others may follow.

A simple phrase, but it speaks to me in different ways – about leadership, creating precedents, making choices and making decisions. It suggests adventure while avoiding complacency. Primarily, it speaks to me about breaking boundaries - about blazing trails while following your heart. This is something I’ve enjoyed doing throughout my professional and personal life. Yes, it’s risky, but that’s the point!

A trailblazer is usually the first to do something new – which makes them visionaries, inventors and creators. As leaders, they step out of their comfort zone to explore possibilities, not too bothered by what some would call failures, but rather preferring to make incremental progress along the way and learn from missteps.

Leaders who are trailblazers are constantly challenging the status quo, taking calculated risks to get to their desired vision. This is a mighty skill that requires a good deal of confidence, determination and resilience. Good leaders have an unnerving ability to recognize obstacles (which often are people, processes, technology, rules, laws and other things), and to overcome them. They do this by either re-engineering, changing or removing the obstacles, leaving the path open to proceed with as little hindrance as possible.

A piece of career advice I often give: Never get too comfortable in a job or even a company. Comfort leads to complacency, missed opportunities and lack of personal and professional growth.

If you want to stand out and follow your heart, then be a trailblazer. Believe in yourself and never let others talk you out of things you believe in. For this, you need to cultivate personal strength, courage and resilience, so that you can embrace change and learn from setbacks. Remember you don’t always have to ask for permission to do something. Depending on the situation, it might work better to ask for forgiveness instead!

Top of mind should be: to leave intact your humility, integrity and values. Never lose those. Without them, it’s difficult to maintain authenticity and to gain trust and respect.

Here’s the important thing: As you set off blazing a trail, don’t walk away once you think you’ve completed it. As a leader, your job is to clear the path so that others can follow it. And that becomes your legacy.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading. Email me at: bernadette@gogettercoaching.com .