Time to Bite the Bullet

“We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success.”  ~Henry David Thoreau

For the past few weeks — heck, it’s probably been closer to a month — I’ve been playing with an idea.  I think it’s a pretty good idea, another path for moving forward to the creation of something good in the world.  If I’m going to be honest, I’ve had a couple of ideas that I’ve been playing with and exploring, but this one idea is the one that’s top-of-mind today.

As I’ve sat with the idea, I’ve looked at it’s merits and flaws from every possible angle.  I’ve shared my potential plans with one or two people I trust, seeking their perspective into how this might or might not serve the bigger picture.  My sense as I write this blog post this morning is that I’ve got answers to virtually every question I can possibly think of, and the few questions that remain can get answered as I move forward, however I choose to move forward.  And therein lies the kicker.

Using Thoreau’s quote above as a descriptor of where I’m at, my sense is that it’s time for me to leap.  I’ve been very conscious and deliberate up until this moment, and I think that’s a good thing.  I don’t believe that there’s anything I’m consciously overlooking — and I am aware that there are some things I don’t know.  These “unknowns” are what could hold me back from what otherwise seems like a good move.  And, I’ve decided that I’m not going to hold myself back.  I’m going to leap — and so I sent off an email to the person involved, to let her know that I’d like to move ahead.  The ball’s in her court now; I’ve made my leap.  (I promise I’ll let you in on the details of the leap once I hear what her decision is   ).

One of the things I know for sure is that when one wears the mantle of leadership, this sort of scenario — the scenario whereby one finds herself at the point of leaping, but still unsure of some answers — is all too common.  You see, you can’t always have all the answers, as much as you would like to.  And my sense is that this where you get to walk that fine line of knowing as much as you can, and then taking a chance.  That’s what leadership is all about.  Sometimes, you’ve got to leap into the unknown.  Due diligence is required — to a point.  Then you’ve got to take a risk.

Bottom-line: if you wait until you have all the answers, you’ll wait forever.  Because you cannot have all of the answers, I’m not even sure if you can have most of the answers.  I do know that you can have some of the answers.  And then you’ve just got to do what feels right, and adjust your course of action as necessary, when necessary, from thereon in.