The Gap.

This weekend I got to sit down with my friend, Ben Estling, whom I met earlier this year through Salt Company. Ben is a great guy and I am genuinely thankful for our new and growing friendship. While talking to Ben over coffee this week, he was sharing with me some information about his high school athletics experience and he came to a really neat conclusion about leadership that I want to share. It's about leading in "The Gap."

What is the Gap? If you've ever been on a team, you likely know that there is a strong divide between the leaders in charge and the team to follow. Team members sometimes have the attitude that they should be the leaders instead, leaders get frustrated with attitudes, and a gap is formed that can often feel impossible to bridge.

In talking to Ben, he shared that during his senior year of high school basketball, the coach explained to him that while he wasn't a team captain, he was an extremely important leader. His attitude towards leadership, coupled with his ability to follow, made it possible for their team to be united and that year they made it to the state tournament. Being a small town school, it was a pretty big deal for them.

I almost instantly thought about my high school soccer career and the "gap leaders" on our team who made it possible for the captains to be looked towards for leadership. One of my friends, we'll call him Bob, was an incredible gap leader. It was apparent to the entire team that Bob wanted to be a captain, and he was very capable at that. However, he wasn't a captain. The great thing about Bob though is that he was just as good a follower as he was a leader. I can't tell you how many times one of the captains would have something to say as the verbal chaos continued, and Bob, who no doubt had something he wanted to share, would instead shout, "Everyone listen up!" And at that we were heard. See, it's not that the team didn't think we could lead - it's that they also wanted to lead. Sometimes it takes a leader who isn't in a position of leadership to step up and say, "let's follow." That's a Gap Leader. A leader who knows how to follow, and does so willingly.

Gap Leaders are so incredibly important as they often lead everyone to follow. The leaders are like the shepherd, they can lead all they want, but if the sheep (the team) don't follow, what good is their leadership? The shepherd can go, and if the sheep don't follow, is he still their shepherd? But, sheep stick together. If one sheep follows the shepherd, the others are likely to go because another has already set that standard.

If you're a leader, recognize and thank your gap leaders. If you're a gap leader, you're making the difference. Bridge the gap.