August 15, 2024 Keep Your Head Up—a Leadership Lesson
Written By Randy Johnson, SVP Support Services & Sustainability
As a young boy, I vividly remember the rite of passage when my dad decided I was old enough to mow the lawn. He wasn’t a tough man by nature and fostered a family culture of acceptance and empowerment—except when it came to the lawn. The lawn had to be perfect. The lines needed to be straight and true. Non-negotiable. As a grown man, I now understand: your status in the neighborhood does have a direct correlation to the quality of your lawn!
Understanding this high standard, I started the mower and began my first attempt. I remember staring at the mower, focused on the wheels, making sure they were rolling straight, not weaving to the left or to the right. I remember the pressure and the desire to make it perfect.
As I reached the end of my first row, I looked back, expecting to feel a sense of pride for my accomplishment. To my shock, I found a row that was anything but straight! It zigzagged as if mowed by someone who had had too many beers before starting the job.
As my dad approached to inspect my first attempt, I saw a coy smile on his face. Not anger, not disappointment, but a sense that he knew exactly how my first row would look. He was relishing the fact that he would get to teach me a lesson that would last a lifetime. He walked toward me like this was a moment he had been waiting for.
He told me to shut off the mower and put his hand on my shoulder. He then shared the secret to mowing a straight row that every leader should hear: “Son, if you want to mow a straight line, keep your head up. Pick a spot on the other side of the lawn, on the horizon, in the direction you desire to go. Then do not take your eye off that landmark. Do not look at the mower—look at the landmark on the horizon.”
I nodded, kind of thought he was a little crazy for that advice, but I was in no position to argue, given my inaugural performance. I turned the mower around, picked a water tower in the distance, and never took my eye off it. At the end of that trial walk, I turned to see a row that was perfect!
As a senior leader, I have never forgotten that lesson. Leaders keep their heads up! They focus on the horizon, the direction they want the organization to go. They set the first row. From that row, the ones who follow can align their wheels. As leaders, we are charged with setting direction, driving culture, and establishing profit and performance goals. When setting and communicating these crucial aspects of the business, let’s keep our eyes on the horizon, setting straight and true direction for those that follow.
Join me in being a “heads up” leader!