I recently ticked off a bucket list item โ visiting the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea.
The guided tour brought us to a bridge spanning a beautiful gorge near the DMZ.
I love bridges. I especially love it when I get to walk across one.
๐ The outdoor junkie in me appreciates the open space that a bridge often offers.
๐ The engineering geek in me marvels at how the bridge was built.
๐ And the history buff in me thinks about what life was like for the folk on either side before and after the bridge.
Walking across the bridge with my family on a crisp winter day was just magnificent.
At its core, a well-placed bridge tees up infinite opportunities โ for commerce, for efficiencies, for relationships etc.
When I work with clients, I often liken leadership to the art of building bridges with our teams.
A well-timed conversation helps a team member or a loved one make a better decision.
๐ Sometimes, we must help them start a bridge, e.g. introduce them to a person or a solution to enable their success.
๐ Other times, we can suggest where to build their bridge, e.g. focus on A, not B.
๐ Or we can help them complete the bridge, e.g. remove obstacles for them in the home stretch.
The analogies are endless.
One constant?
๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ: ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ง๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ฆ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ข๐ญ.
The team member has to want it, drive it and own it โ to learn to build their future bridges. And the best way to prepare them is to let them take credit for having built the current bridge.
On this last day of the year, I wish you every success in the bridges that you are helping someone build or are building for yourself in 2025.
And remember: with the right planning and support, there is no bridge too far.
I sincerely wish you a fantastic 2025!