Leading Through Mud

When you’re in charge, doesn’t it seem sometimes as though everyone is waiting for your direction? Well, when you and your team are in rough terrain, they are most certainly looking to you for guidance.

I was thinking about this concept as I hiked in a local county park in what the locals call hills but most people from outside the area would refer to as mountains. It has been raining on and off for weeks and the trails were more challenging than usual even with good hiking shoes. The rivulets and dirt combined to form mud that was in some places quite sticky and in other places a sliding hazard.

As I squelched and occasionally slid through the mud, it occurred to me that the trail conditions were a metaphor for how it feels to be the decision-maker when the road isn’t smooth and easy to navigate. At the less passable points in the trail, I had a couple of choices.

1. Forge Ahead – I knew I had on dependable hiking shoes, and I was familiar with the trail. Despite the trail conditions, there wasn’t a big downside to me trudging right through the mud in most places. Yes, my shoes got dirtier, and the mud splashed my pants. I was, however, able to move at a close to normal pace and arrive at a slightly drier spot.

   
   

2. Find a Way Around – When I hit my first slick uphill, I realized that continuing to plod through the middle of the trail was not a great option if I didn’t want to end up face down in the mud. So, the few times when the path was truly too much even for my trusty hiking shoes, I moved as far to the side as possible without careening off the edge of the path. Having to make the accommodation slowed me down for a bit, but having to recover from a fall would have been far worse.

Your team is watching to see what you do with a rough road. Will you forge ahead, or will you find a way around? It’s likely that they’re not looking for you to do only one or the other, but to know when to deploy each tactic. Knowing when it’s time to forge ahead and when it’s time to find a way around will help you keep your team focused and the work on track.

And you will also be able to enjoy the views at the trail’s end.