Don’t Leap so Far Ahead of The Parade You Can’t Hear the Band

Are you a leaper or a grinder?

Are you inclined to leap over the day-to-day messes and frustrations of social and environmental challenges, to demonstrate your solution for a better future, and to pull the present towards you?

Or do you prefer to keep your nose to the grindstone, to take care of people and their immediate needs, to clean up the messes in front of you and to push the present into the future?

I’m a leaper by nature but I’ve learned not to leap so far ahead of the parade that I can’t hear the band. I’m grateful to those who stay and face the music and who don’t neglect the day to day while I’m out exploring.

Leapers and grinders don’t always get along.

Leapers think grinders are timid by not dropping everything to join them.

Grinders think leapers are unappreciative by wanting to change everything.

In reality, they need each other.

Grinders anchor leapers to reality ensuring their solutions are well grounded.

Leapers offer grinders an alternative to what often seems like a treadmill.

The challenge is not that one group is more innovative or bolder than the other. The challenge is for the groups to make peace with each other.

Their collective ingenuity will take care of everything else once that happens.