I lead an organization where I am responsible to many stakeholders and I take duties that come with the mantle of leadership very, very seriously. Every day, I make decisions that impact the lives of others and the future of the company and people I am charged with caring for. The unknowns are many, the uncertainties are great, there are risks to the left, and risks to the right, dragons ahead and sea serpents behind. 

I do know several things, guiding principles: the greatest of all risks is to try to avoid all risk, you can’t win the game from the sidelines, the best way out is through i.e. if you are going through hell, for god’s sake don’t stop, keep going! 

There is no such thing as a perfect decision, trade-offs are inevitable. Action brings clarity, and paralysis through analysis can sap the spirit out of an organization. Crisp, disciplined execution creates momentum, energy, and enthusiasm and with it often a wellspring of support.

It takes courage to make decisions in the face of the unknown, when things are unstable, the variables many, and life seems capricious and unsettled. Yet it is then that we learn the most about ourselves and I truly believe that there is a spark of divinity within all of us, a foundation of grit that if we but find the daring, the moxie, the vision to step forward, we will be richly rewarded. There are no costless choices, there are no perfect solutions, only tradeoffs of various magnitudes. So, relax and begin. There is magic in beginning.

Closing Quotes:

“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr., 1929-1968

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” – William Shakespeare, 1564-1616, Measure for Measure

“The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment; it is not in luck or chance, or the help of others; it is in yourself alone.” – Orison Swett Marden, 1848–1924

As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier

Note: Every effort has been made to properly source any 3rd person material. I am, however, a voracious reader. If anyone finds any unattributed material, pls let me know asap and I will be delighted to give credit where credit is due.
“All intelligent thoughts have already been thought; what is necessary is only to try to think them again.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832