Some things an expert can fix, or the boss can order done. But as a culture, we’ve fallen into the bad habit of waiting for others to lead. When you embrace this principle, the waiting is over. Action is yours to take and the time is now. No matter your position, age, or level of experience, you can do something to mobilize others to make progress on an important leadership challenge. The goal of taking action is not to fix things yourself but to engage other people. 

So, if you are facing a messy, complex challenge, what do you do?

If you are like most people, you fall into the trap of the quick fix: you throw some expertise at it and hope it sticks. Or you run it up the flagpole and pray somebody above you has the miracle cure.

If you are that person at the top of the flagpole, maybe you feel that pressure. You want to work miracles. Maybe you stay up all night drafting a plan. You dot every “i” and cross every “t.” You make a timeline and assign names to tasks. You rush to the office the next morning and start delegating. Or you gather the volunteers that evening and start assigning.

But what if this challenge is bigger than you? What if quick fixes won’t work? At least not for long. What if even the CEO can’t delegate their way out of this one? When the challenge is complex and adaptive  no one can get to the hoped-for future in one heroic leap.

But somebody has to take a risk. Somebody has to try to Energize Others. It may as well be you.