Don't Cut the Corners: Leadership Lessons from a Labyrinth

Yesterday, my son and I took a walk and stopped at the labyrinth in our neighborhood park. As a coach, I hear from a lot of clients who feel stuck. They're taking all the right actions but not seeing results. Maybe it's team dynamics, a new job, the budget to grow a team, or keeping up with the demands of AI. Whatever it is, they're not where they want to be, on the timeline they planned.

The labyrinth holds a lot of lessons for that journey: getting from where you are to where you want to be.

When you arrive at a labyrinth, the goal is clear: get to the center. But finding the starting point can be tricky. Depending on the conditions, the labyrinth may not have well-defined edges. You circle the stone border until you find a gap. Sometimes the hardest part is figuring out where to begin.

A labyrinth is not a maze. There are no dead ends and no wrong turns. There is one path. You walk toward the center, and then the path swings you away from it. Just when you think you've almost arrived, you find yourself back near the outer edge.

The leadership journey is like this, too.

Closer, then farther, then closer again

Progress rarely looks like a straight line. One week you feel on the edge of a breakthrough. The next, you feel farther from your goal than when you started.

Any single moment can fool you. It can make you feel close when there's a long way to go, or hopelessly far when you're nearly there. Where you're standing right now doesn't tell you how far you've come.

Even the right steps can take you away from the center for a while. Keep going!

When the path is hard to see

Some stretches of the path are unclear. The turns blur together and you can't see where it leads. You might lose interest and wonder what it's all for.

You can’t control the conditions, but you can adapt to them. You can stop and rest whenever you need to. Pausing is not quitting. The center will still be there when you're ready to take the next step.

Don't cut corners

I shared some of my reflections with my son and asked him what the labyrinth symbolized for him. He said, “Don't cut the corners. You'll miss out on important lessons along the way.”

It's tempting to step over the lines and head straight for the center. But the lessons live in the turns. A shortcut might get you to the destination faster, but it skips the learning that makes arriving mean something.

So what might you miss? In nature, it might be a beautiful rock, a leaf, or a flower. At work, it might be a project, a conversation with a coworker, or a meeting with a new partner. In life, it might be a moment to linger with a friend, time for your favorite hobby, the chance to learn something new, or a walk with a family member.

When you don't cut corners, you let yourself live in the moment and enjoy the journey, even when it’s hard.

Is there a time you were tempted to skip a step? What lesson did you learn only because you didn't cut corners?

You don't have to walk alone

On the night of a full moon, I went on a sunset hike with friends to a labyrinth. The experience was magical, unlike anything I would have experienced on my own, or even with a different group of friends.

Notice how the people you're with shape your journey. Who do you want to bring with you on your leadership journey? Do you have a trusted advisor, or is it time to bring in a fresh perspective?

Ask for help when you need it. Asking is not a detour; it's how you keep moving when the path gets bumpy. And notice the people walking beside you. A word of encouragement at the right moment can be what someone needs to keep going.

Celebrate at the center, and along the way

When you reach the center, celebrate yourself. You did the work.

But don't wait until the end. Celebrate the turns you made it through, the stretches you didn't quit, and the moments you chose to keep going. Those count too.

Clear the path for those behind you

Once you've walked the path, you know where it gets hard. That knowledge is a gift.

Turn around and encourage the people who are on their way. Remove the obstacles you stumbled over so the next person doesn't have to. You can’t make the journey for them, but you can make it a little easier. That is leadership at its best: not only reaching the center, but making the path clearer for those who come behind you.

A few questions for your path

•      Where are you on your path right now?

•      What lesson has been most valuable to you so far?

•      Who could you walk beside, or clear the path for, this month?

And the next time you come to a corner, remember my son's advice: don't cut it.

If you're in a winding stretch of your own leadership, or leading a team through one, let's talk.