Just Move the Ball

Last week, I sat in a room full of leaders celebrating a friend’s first book release.

Her book is written for leaders who need a recharge.
For those carrying responsibility.
For those trying to make an impact in the worlds they inhabit.

The room felt familiar.
Civic leaders. Business owners. Board members.
People who care deeply.

At one point, someone asked the question many of us quietly carry:
How do you keep from feeling overwhelmed by the size of the problem you are trying to solve?

Her answer was simple.
Time.

When you look at your life in the context of history, it is brief. A small window in a much larger story. And within that window, your job is not to solve everything.

Your job is to move the ball five yards.

If you are fortunate, maybe ten.

Just advance it.

For some, that sounds small.

For me, it felt freeing.
I am not required to hit a home run every time I join a board, launch an initiative, or step into a new season. I am not responsible for finishing the entire field.
I am responsible for faithful progress.

Building trust.
Mentoring one leader.
Asking a better question.
Strengthening a culture.

Five yards.

When I look back on public service and regional work, I do not see one defining swing. I see steady movement. Conversation by conversation. Decision by decision.

No single moment changed everything.

But collectively, the ball moved.

And when a room full of leaders each commits to five yards, momentum builds.

That is how communities change.
That is how organizations endure.
That is how impact compounds.

So this month, wherever you are leading, ask yourself one question:
Did we move the ball?

If the answer is yes, you are doing the work that matters.
And over time, that kind of leadership changes the field.