Time to cross the street

sebastian showing the models how to step off the curb with pizazz....
(matt never figured it out), a photo by shullovox on Flickr.

You're leading a group, you're walking in unfamiliar territory, and you have come to a street.  Are you going to stand there, not sure whether you should proceed?  Are you going to retrace your steps, because you already know where that route leads?  Or is it time for you to step off the curb and cross the street?

One of the challenges in leading is knowing the difference between situations where your best bet is to stop and seek the input of your team, and and those when you just take the step forward.  When you are stepping out you might need to hold their hands, or connect your team members to one another, to help them manage their fears.  You will be the one to look both ways to keep them safe from oncoming traffic, and to time the step-off appropriately.

They might be pulling back on your arms, tired from the walk so far and wanting only to sit down to rest.  But you might have to urge them on.

If you know that your destination is warm and comfortable, and you know that it has food and drink, you might be less likely to slow your pace or even stop for a few moments to comfort the naysayers.  They will just have to see when they arrive at the destination, and it will be evident to them then that their concerns and resistance were overblown and unnecessary.  Once they arrive they will enjoy benefits that would not have been possible if you had not pulled them forward with you.

You might not, however, know what is ahead.  You might know only that the place you are leaving is not going to stay the welcoming and comfortable spot to which the group has been accustomed.  Change is brewing, and if you don't help them move they might not survive.  They might not see what you see, and they might not understand why you are continuing to pull them forward. 

Some of your group will focus on the trucks, busses, and cars whizzing by, and worry that you won't know how to help them cross the street safely.  It will help you (and them) if you have navigated busy streets before.  They will trust you more readily.

But ultimately it comes down to you.  Is the place that you're going - or the place that you're leaving - worth the potential conflict?  Are the implications and potential implications big enough that you need to go even though some of your group will be kicking and screaming?  If so, then go.  Step off the curb.  Look both ways, and choose your time, but take that step.  This stage of it is only temporary if you don't linger at the crossroads.