“Are you behind the opportunity, or are you just behind?”

Whether it is raising children, leading a team of people, correcting a big issue, selling something, etc., the best position we can have is as the leader. As leaders we should be doing all the extra-mile work required to build the path rather than reacting to it. Being behind (reacting) is the worst position because even if you succeed, it is on someone else’s terms, and those achievements often turn into failures.

It is also a leader’s responsibility to have self-awareness and know if they are leading, or if they are just behind. The issue/opportunity may still need to be addressed, but having self-awareness allows us to consciously design our approach based on how we are positioned. The highest level of failure is derived from being behind (reactive), yet still approaching the situation as if we were truly leading from the beginning. It turns the other side off, wastes a tremendous amount of time, and demotivates the team. So if we are pursuing something that we are having to chase, the first thing to do is to know and understand our position, and then consciously decide if/how to continue.