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Personal Risk Makes Good Leaders.
Ownership and accountability move us.
Walking along the creek near our house, we came across three boys — 10 or 12 years old. Their football had landed in the water and was moving swiftly away with the current.
They chased it and we cheered them on, all puzzling aloud on the best place to make a grab for it.
It is Spring in the North, and the creek winding through our city runs fast and wide. Thirty feet wide on average, the current strong and cold from snowmelt and spring rain.
Still, it is not a mighty river. It is not too deep, not likely to be deadly. Not likely. One would not jump in. The water ran fast enough that a trot was needed to keep up with the ball.
The boys were on the other side when we first met them. But as we came to a bridge, a steep bank wall on their side meant they must cross to ours to continue pursuit.
As the three boys started across the foot bridge toward us, it became clear they now needed to run. Time was lost on the bridge, and there were woods and thicket to navigate on the way back down to creekside.
This had turned into work. Two of the three stopped on the bridge to watch.
One boy ran across, ran along past us, found a longish stick, and pushed…
