Friday reflection: Leap of faith

November 26, 2021

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I can re-watch this scene from Marvel’s Into the Spiderverse over and over again. And while most people consider the movie merely an entertaining visual masterpiece, the principle contained in these two lines between Miles and Peter is profound. (Also the soundtrack is fire!)

In fact, I believe many leaders fail to reach their full potential, not because they have some fatal weakness, but because they never take the “leap of faith.” The fear of falling into the chasm weighs more heavily on them than the glorious victory awaiting them on the other side.

The irony is that research by three of my colleagues, (Elena Lytkina Botelho, Kim Powell and Nicole Wong), all of whom are leadership gurus, shows that leaders who make these “big leaps” actually have the fastest path to CEO. These challenging assignments accelerate learning and help leaders develop new muscles, and when leaders ultimately succeed in these roles, it increases their confidence to take the next leap. While this research is taken from corporate life, cognitive psychologists have begun to demonstrate the benefits of risk taking across all human endeavors.

You may not have a specific “leap of faith” opportunity at this moment. But the next time you are offered an opportunity that feels like too big of a stretch or an exciting, creative idea crosses your mind that you are tempted to reject as too risky, take a breath. And when the same voice Miles heard enters your head asking “When will I know I am ready?,” you can turn to the wisdom of the OG Spider-Man, Peter Parker: “You won’t. It’s a leap of faith.” And then JUMP!

A few questions that I considered for this reflection:

1. As you start to think about your goals for 2022, what is one “leap of faith” goal that you are going to commit to pursuing? (e.g., new project at work, new creative endeavor, moving to a new city, leading a team for the first time)

2. What will make this “leap of faith” goal difficult? In other words, what could prevent it from happening?

3. What support do you need to overcome the obstacles that you anticipated in Question 3?

4. Who will you share this “leap of faith” goal with? And how would you like them to hold you accountable?

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