By Doug Van Dyke, Leadership Simplified, www.leadershipsimplified.com

Last week I was shopping at Publix. I like Publix – wide aisles, bright lights, nice. During the checkout process a young bagman looked at the cashier and said, “Only four more hours ‘till my week is over.” The comment that popped into my mind was, “Hey, don’t wish your life away.” Every day is a gift, right? What I wished I had said (in a kind voice) was this: “And in that four hours, if you really put your mind to it, you could do something extraordinary!” Unfortunately I did not utter my challenge. Rather, I said nothing. For some reason my head-trash convinced me that the bagman would think I was just a guy passing judgment on his generation, as opposed to someone who was attempting to inspire him. As a result, I wimped out and remained silent. I missed out on a golden opportunity to take a risk during which I might have embarrassed myself, but I also might have ignited someone to take positive action. In my opinion, I let a cross-roads moment slip by. It haunts me.

So, what is the point of my dribblings? Well, it is to toss the gauntlet at all of you leaders out there to challenge your team members to strive for the extraordinary. Seek to inspire your people. Ignite achievement. Take a risk, and fail. Then take another risk in a different manner, and perhaps make a difference in someone’s life. But do not, my friends, wimp out. It will haunt you.

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