"The Drift"

What is it that happens to an organization (or an individual for that matter) that causes them to begin to navigate off-course from their mission? Does one decision have the power to derail an organization from its purpose? Is this how it really happens, or is it more like a ship at sea which gets pulled off course by external forces when its engines for some reason all start pulling in different directions?

I'm going to begin a series of posts that consider this phenomenon that I now refer to as "The Drift." What kind of environments does the Drift begin in? What internal factors contribute to the Drift? How does the Drift get its start? What external forces add momentum to the Drift? With respect to organizations (and individuals) that have significant influence on culture, what happens to the culture surrounding an organization (or individual) that is in the Drift? These are some of the questions stirring in my mind right now when I look at the people, organizations and institutions in the world around me.

Stay tuned...

Bold, gutsy leadership--it's the kind of leadership exhibited by those seemingly rare individuals who believe so strongly in something that they pursue it at costs that the rest of us couldn't imagine ourselves paying. I'm realizing just how truly inspired I am by these people. I'm also realizing how rare they are, and that sometimes the people you believe have great potential to lead this way reach a point where it's just not in them. As someone who is inspired by bold leadership, that's hard to digest.

Nonetheless, the thing that I'm probably learning most right now is what it means to be challenged myself to pursue a vision that has some potentially hefty costs associated with it, and to pursue it in a manner that exhibits the kind of character that in turn inspires others.

What is the "right" analysis to apply in making our decisions about these costs?