I just saw “The Great Gatsby” with my youngest son, Ben, last night.  One of my favorite quotes from the movie (and the book) came from Daisy Buchanan.  When asked about her daughter, she replied,

“I hope she’ll be a fool–that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool..”

What strikes me about that quote is how true it is for all of life and, especially, for us as leaders.  It’s always much easier to be a fool and ignore problems.  But, they rarely go away.   We, as leaders, must continually bear the weight of always thinking, weighing, and deciding.  Not that we don’t solicit the help of our team.  That’s a necessity but the weight of being responsible and having a 360 degree view rests solely on our shoulders.  It’s not a burden but something that we want to do…for ourselves and for the people that we are responsible for.

Are you up to the challenge?  Get off the sidelines and get in the game!  Don’t be a fool.

Remember, without action, a mess usually creates more mess.