My job as a leader is to set a destination, provide tools, smooth as much of the road ahead as possible, and steer when necessary.

Thrust comes from deeper in the organization and is a byproduct of people being excited about where the organization is going. When people yearn to go somewhere, they will find the fastest route.

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

— Antoine de Saint Exupéry (paraphrased from his book “Citadelle”)