There’s only one quote posted on my bulletin board, a favorite by Antoine de Saint-Exupery:
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.
As a leader, that’s hard work. In between to-do lists, due dates, and overflowing in-boxes, it’s easy to lose sight of the reason behind all the effort. What is it about our project that makes team members want to spend their valuable time working on it? What can I offer that makes people eager to come to work in the morning?
We work in an exciting field, with the daily potential to change people’s lives for the better. As the new year starts, let’s remember to look up periodically from the piles of wood, and enjoy the view from the deck.
Dee Anne Bonebright
Higher EDge 