By now you’ve likely seen all sorts of news about the Florida school shooting that took place last week. You’ve also likely seen a lot of “thought and prayers” responses and even a few debates on Facebook.
But my favorite response has been young high school students who are taking action:
- There are four high school students running for governor.
- And others are going to march on Washington.
As I thought about it, what I appreciated most was that they were willing to do things that many others, far older, haven’t. That’s one of the blessings of youth – you don’t have a list of reasons for why you shouldn’t do something.
So my challenge comes in the form of a question. Are you helping the young leaders in your organization take risks?
A lot of times our own organizations create the laundry lists of why things won’t work.
“We tried that a few years ago and it failed.”
“We thought of that but here’s why it won’t work.”
It’s easy to come up with reasons to limit our action. Many young leaders don’t mind our hesitancy; they’re willing to do the work. But it’s our job to help them navigate the context their in.
Instead of judging their ideas, we need to help them give it a try.
Who knows? The next young leader you work with might one day transform your business, or the entire country.