We talk a lot at the Crossroad about getting There and figuring out how to reach your desired destination. But I recognize that for many people the question is not “how do I get where I want to go” but rather “how do I know where to go?” It may be that you have reached a fork in the road and don’t know which route to take. Or perhaps you feel like you’re in an endless field with no discernible path one way or another.
Understanding Where You Are
In order to figure out, you first have to be sure of where you currently are. If you’re going on a road trip to Ohio but mistakenly think you’re starting from Texas instead of from North Carolina, you’re going to have a very different journey.
Here tools make up the majority of the Servant Leadership toolkit, because it is incredibly important to have a good grasp on where you are. And as you journey on the Path, where you are keeps changing. So you need to continually re-evaluate your Here in order to stay accurate.
Examples of Here tools are the Two Circles and Moment of Truth, which help you diagnose your motivations and attitude surrounding your actions. The Project Mood Curve helps you pinpoint your location along the Path. And the Leadership and Power Styles help you utilize your strengths and understand the needs of a current situation.
Naming Your Options
In order to figure out where to go it can be helpful to know where you can go. What are the options before you right now? You might have some clear options to weigh the pros and cons between. Or maybe you need to research some options to know what’s available to you. You might find a destination that’s not immediately reachable, in which case you can break it down into smaller steps in order to get There. Or you might just focus on what the next right thing to do is, without letting the pressure of the next few steps weigh you down.
Walking Down the Path
Ultimately, you have to make a choice and start walking down the Path. But that isn’t an end-all-be-all decision. Along the Path, you act, learn, and adjust (ALA). But you have to act in order to be able to learn and adjust. On the Project Mood Curve, you can turn around in the Pit, and sometimes that’s the best choice to make.
Just because you pick one destination does not mean that you cannot change your mind along the way if you decide that’s not where you want to go. And the time spent in pursuit of that destination will not be in waste, as we learn more about ourselves, our passions, and our skills along the way.
You can’t get There by standing still. You have to walk down the Path, even if you’re not totally sure what direction you’re heading in.
Gracie McBride is the Content and Systems Development Coordinator at The Crossroad.
