We all know a leader is suppose to be out in front of his team leading but the question is how far? Recently I have been going on a few bike rides with someone who is new to the sport. Although I am not the best, not by far, I often find myself in front of my friend and if I am not careful, the gap between us grows.

While we were riding I begin to think about leading my team and how what I was experiencing on this bike ride was related. Here are some thoughts:

A leader knows the direction, the route and must communicate where the team needs to go
A leader has to be out in front, but be careful not to get too far ahead.
A leader has to slow down sometimes to allow the team to catch up
A leader has to recognize when a team member cannot keep up.
A leader has to make the tough decision on when to leave the team member behind and or cut them loose.

Have you ever felt you were pressing your team too hard to keep up?

Do you ever have to slow down and communicate the route and the goal again for the team to catch up?

There is a fine balance that I must keep between being leading toward a goal and leaving my team behind. When I am too far out in front we don't get much accomplished and the team doesn't know where we are headed.

I want to stay in front of the team so that I am between the team and the goal.

I cannot get so far out in front that the team loses sight of the goal and only sees me.