One Single Word Every True Leader Embraces…That’s Far Too Easy To Abandon

There’s a single word every true leader uses regularly, that far too many leaders abandon early into their leadership.

In fact, the more successful you become, the more tempted you will be to abandon it.

Others abandon it too. Leaders who become conservative (not politically, but attitudinally) are likely to abandon it. So is the fearful leader.

Yet every great leader clings to it. It’s one of the things that makes them great at leader.

So what’s the word?

The word is attempt.

Here’s why it matters more than you think.

 When Something Good Sounds Bad

I was just recently reminded of why leaders abandon a great word.

After I did an interview I did with Josh Gagnon, founder of Next Level Church (which grew from 0 to over 2000 people in four locations in just 6 years….in New England), I heard from a number of church planters who were inspired by the interview. (You can listen to Josh’s story here.)

Here’s what I wanted to say to the church planters: “I love what you’re attempting.”

But the 140 character universe we live in, I didn’t use attempt because I thought it would be heard negatively, as in nice attempt…too bad it won’t work out.

So I said I love what you’re doing instead.

But their attempt is actually what I admire most. Really admire.
We need more leaders who attempt things.

We need more leaders who risk, who believe, who experiment…who attempt.

Attempting something is difficult, because if it’s truly an attempt, you have no guarantee it will work.

Which is why so few people do it.

It’s easier to play it safe…to stop risking…to cut the losses.

Stop attempting things things consistently enough, and you eventually stop leading. You’ll simply manage what you’ve already built.

If it's truly an attempt, there's no guarantee it will work. Which is why so few people do it. Share on X

Here’s What’s At Stake

Want to know what’s at stake?

More than you think.

Whatever you decide to attempt, there’s so much at stake.

If you’re not attempting, you’re not trusting.

If you’re not attempting, you’re not innovating.

If you’re not attempting, you’ve stopped believing.

If you’re not attempting, you’re no longer blazing a trial.

And ultimately, if you stop attempting, you’ll stop inspiring.

And the reason you’ll stop attempting is because you’re simply afraid to fail.

Everything Remarkable Started as an Attempt

Almost everything that’s truly worth noting started as an attempt.

And more accurately, everything remarkable usually happened after numerous failed attempts.

This is true for things as diverse as:

• Human aviation
• The invention of the light bulb
• Tablet computing
• Climbing Mount Everest
• Putting a man on the moon

Nothing truly remarkable happens with out some kind of attempt, often repeated attempts.

Everything remarkable started as an attempt at something no one was sure would work. Share on X

What Are You Attempting?

So the question for you to ask (honestly) is simple.

What are you attempting?

I don’t mean what are you doing. You can do a lot of things without creating anything of value.

But what are you doing that’s risky enough to fail?

What honestly deserves to called an attempt?

If you’re stumped, you’ve stopped leading.

If you realize this is a gap, address it by attempting something.

You know it’s truly an attempt only when you are completely uncertain whether it will succeed.

So….what will you attempt this week?

If you've stopped attempting, you've stopped leading. Share on X