Launching Leadership
We live in a new generation where having a computer and an idea can start you on a path to make money from anywhere in the world, or we lead teams including our own family to some better future; all you need is a vision and the energy to launch.
Gumption, moxie, and resourcefulness all focus on the same direction do you have the courage to take your idea to an action phase? Let’s consider what this gumption looks like because as a leader of any start-up or change project you are launching a new idea, you are a leader breaking the gravity of the current situation and moving it into a new direction with a different point to land on…no different that breaking earth’s gravity and let’s say land on the moon, you are the Saturn V rocket propelling the team, the project, the idea “Boldly going where no one else has gone before.” Consider the Saturn V rocket used in the moon missions, what was needed to move three astronauts from the gravity of earth to the gravity free orbit around the earth before leaving to the moon?
The first stage of the Saturn V rocket (approximate as per NASA) held the fuel and motors to accelerate the 6.5 million pound (2.8 million Kg.) Saturn V from the launch pad to a gravity breaking speed of 6164 mph (9,920 KPH). This first stage burned for 2.5 minutes, in that time burned a total of 521,400 gallons (1,970,000 liters) of the combined fuel and oxidizer. Now let us look at your launch as a from a leader’s perspective.
As a leader for a startup, a work project or even as a parent leading a family you are the Saturn V rocket to get the project or idea into orbit. Until your change is in orbit there is no way to take the next steps to go from change to transformation to culture norm for a business, organization, and/or for a family. The Saturn V example is the perfect example of the energy needed for a leader to go from start to the first step in leading a team, organization and/or family.
I will add one other consideration, looking back at the Saturn V rocket and the Apollo missions, it took a team to support the leader, it took advisors (coach) it took peers, and it took a team of resolute followers supporting the leader on the good and bad days.
In today’s world there are many individuals with ideas, plans and projects waiting for takeoff all I ask is that as before you light the fire for takeoff consider the energy you will be required to put into it, consider your team and most importantly make sure you as a leader are leading yourself growing every day for without that your rocket may launch and your team may guide it but you will be the one left on the launchpad left behind, looking up, missing your opportunity for being all you never expected you could be.
