there are thousands of mountain bike riders out on the trails. i can say definitively that they all have one significant thing within their control that they can use to differentiate themselves from others.

it is the same thing that can differentiate one leader from another. it offers one leader opportunities to enter into exceptional places & positions of influence at a young age while it takes years for another potential leader to come even close to sniffing at such heights. I have no desire to oversimplify such a complex equation, there are certainly obvious exceptions, but you certainly can enhance your leadership through critical decisions about

the path you take

these directional choices do much to determine where you end up in leadership. if your ride the same entry level trails over and over again, you will only hone entry level skills. you need to try new trails, with unexpected challenges around the corners. you can’t shy away from new challenging climbs and the thrilling rides that follow. you have to branch out and beyond your current reality that you have already mastered.

each day when you get up and get after it, you have significant choices to make: will you go the same tired routes that you already know, or will you branch out and try something new? will you go around hard obstacles that lay straight in your path or will you forge through, over or among the technical challenge that is right in front of you?

as in bike riding, leaders don’t get better by repeating conquests.

look for a new challenge – sign up for a new assignment outside of your current skill set – develop a new network  - expose yourself to new conversations and environments