Leadership Isn’t a Shortcut—It’s a Journey Through the Mud
John Maxwell once said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” But I’ve learned that real leadership often starts with not knowing the way at all.
At 13, I was appointed patrol leader in my Boy Scout troop. My first mission: guide three younger scouts on a 5-mile hike. It was a blazing August day in the hills near Cleveland, Tennessee. Eager to impress and shave off a few miles, I proposed a shortcut. “If we cut through this field,” I told them, “we’ll get back quicker—and no one has to know.”
They trusted me. They followed.
What should’ve been a 5-mile loop turned into an 8-mile odyssey through fields, hills, and finally, a manure-covered pasture. We pushed forward—ankle-deep in filth—until one scout lost his shoe. I went back to help. He found it, knocked me over in celebration, and I came up covered from head to toe in the worst kind of lesson.
When we finally made it back to camp, our scoutmaster was furious, the other scouts were exhausted, and I had failed the team that trusted me.
But I also learned—that leadership isn’t about looking smart or taking shortcuts. It’s about being responsible, earning trust, and serving others, especially when it’s messy or inconvenient.
Leaders like Abraham Lincoln knew this. He weathered failure after failure and still chose service over ego. Lt. Gen. Hal Moore once said, “There is always one more thing you can do to influence any situation in your favor.” He led from the front—not with bravado, but with selfless courage. And Ronald Reagan reminded us that leadership is about lifting others: “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one who gets people to do the greatest things.”
That’s servant leadership—putting others first, listening more than speaking, and making the hard calls not for your own gain, but for the people who’ve placed their trust in you.
Over the years, that failed hike became a defining moment. It taught me that you succeed by helping others succeed—my personal motto. Leadership isn’t about being the smartest in the room. It’s about walking beside people, even when the trail is unclear, and helping them avoid the same pitfalls you’ve stumbled through.
Sir Isaac Newton once described himself as “a boy playing on the seashore…finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” That’s how I see leadership. Not as mastery, but as discovery. We don’t have all the answers. But we can learn, grow, and share what we find with those around us.
So wherever you lead—from the boardroom to the classroom, or within your own home—don’t wait to be perfect. Learn from your failures. Earn trust through consistency. And always lead with integrity, humility, and heart.
Because true leadership isn’t about the path you take—it’s about the people you bring with you.
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