Blog 17: The Journey Is the Work – What’s the Most Important Step a Leader Can Take?
The Journey Is the Work: Why the Next Step Matters Most in Leadership
Leadership isn’t about the summit—it’s about the courage to take the next step, especially after you want to quit. Discover how resilience is forged on the journey.
What’s the Most Important Step a Leader Can Take?
“The most important step a man can take is always the next one.” — Brandon Sanderson
Somewhere on a switchback five days into a 10-day mountain trek, my son stopped walking. He dropped his pack, stared at the ground, and said what he’d been holding in for miles:
“I can’t be you. I quit.”
We were halfway up a mountain. Seven miles behind us. Seven more to go. No exit. No shortcut. Just up.
He didn’t need a lecture. He didn’t need a lesson. He needed someone to carry the weight for a while.
So I took his pack, handed him a water bottle, and we climbed in silence.
Eventually, with no ceremony, he stepped beside me and asked, “Need help with that?”
He wasn’t the same kid who stopped on the trail. He had taken the step that matters most—the one that comes after you want to quit.
The Leadership Lesson in the Switchback
Every leader I’ve worked with has stood on that same trail. Overwhelmed. Comparing themselves to others. Ready to give up.
The breakthrough isn’t about summoning superhuman strength. It’s about taking the next step anyway.
What my son discovered that day is what every leader must learn: you don’t need to see the summit to take the next step.
“We are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us.” — Brandon Sanderson
The Path Shapes the Leader
That’s what SemitaCor is all about. Leadership isn’t defined by the finish line. It’s about how you show up on the path.
With heart.
With insight.
With the courage to keep going.
The most important step a leader can take? The one that comes after you want to quit.
Your Turn
What’s your next step?
