Quote-A-Day: Day 275

You'll always lose every #game that you don't #play. #QuoteADay #Day275 #edchat #edu #ASCDL2L #InItToLiveIt

Why are we sometimes so afraid to put ourselves “out there?”

Even as leaders, there are some situations that make us less inclined to take a risk, even when we know we should.

And yet, if we don’t take that risk, if we sit on the sidelines, then we can never accomplish anything.

Why?

Because we haven’t even played the game.

The best leaders understand that it isn’t about winning or losing.  In fact, whether you win or lose has nothing to do with learning and leading.  Rather, it is the fact that we are engaged in playing a role, that we are actually “living” leaders and learners that makes all the difference.  By investing ourselves in a situation, by taking a step into the spotlight, as opposed to “sitting this one out,” we can learn more, and lead deeper.

This doesn’t mean that we have to “be” the spotlight or all that is in it at all times.  But, it does mean that if we really want to internalize what is going on around us, we have to be deeply invested.

And the only way to be deeply invested is to be deeply involved.

While life isn’t a game, in many ways, it operates like one.  The fact is, we’ll always lose every game that we don’t play in.  Even if our team “wins,” if we’re sitting out, we’ve missed much of what we could have learned, and in turn what could have made us better leaders.