Picture Mission Control before a rocket launch: every system checked, every voice answering ‘Go’ or ‘No Go.’ One ‘No Go’ and the mission stops. Leadership is no different—alignment is everything.
After a whirlwind week of travel, I realized something: growing people isn’t easy. Everyone has their own ambitions, and sometimes they don’t match yours. The real challenge? Helping people see the mission and believe they can do more.
Our company is thriving—new clients, fresh initiatives, new hires. Growth is essential. But here’s the truth: company growth means nothing if we aren’t growing ourselves.
I understand a growth mindset applies to me first and foremost, as Henry Kissinger said, “The task of the leader is to get their people from where they are to where they have not been.” Yet, sometimes that’s the most frustrating thing to me: You pour energy into helping people grow, yet some never see what’s possible.
While the failure of personal growth might be as simple as someone who can’t see the forest for the trees, the cautionary note for any company is the Chinese proverb, ‘be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.’ My personal challenge, and the same for any leader, is to help people understand that if they’re not growing, they’re moving backwards.
In the Mission Control Room, the decision is binary: Go or No Go. In leadership, it’s similar. There are only two mindset evaluations: ‘Grow’ or ‘No Grow.’ The clear choice isn’t always easy.