On a rock climbing trip where I was being taught how to lead, I learned a valuable lesson in leadership. The lesson was to not forget the details.

To climb safely one uses a system that includes placing protection, i.e., chocks or pitons, in which you attach a carabiner and then the rope that keeps you from falling back to the ground in case of a slip. The leader puts the safety system in place while the second dismantles the system on the way up. Typically the leader and second will trade back and forth. As it was my turn to lead my partner refused to let me take off. He said you are missing a very important part of climbing safely. Your rope is tangled up. If you start your lead now you’re going to find yourself in a very precarious position where you’ll need the rope to flow freely. He insisted I take the time to assure “all systems were go” before making the first move.

As a leader we tend to forget the importance of taking care of the details. What goes on behind the scenes is often more important than the final act of leading. Just because you’ve volunteered to be a leader doesn’t mean you don’t need to take the time to prepare and practice. If you want to be a leader that others will follow, take care of the details and make sure your rope is untangled.