This past weekend I was in Big Bear with 80 Land Rovers.

(That sentence makes me happier than it probably should.)

Our club puts on Rover Rendezvous once a year. We reserved an entire campground, and the weekend ran on camaraderie and campfire stories. On Saturday, John and I took on White Mountain, a trail rated moderate to difficult.

I’m not fully comfortable on difficult trails yet. So when things got serious, John took the wheel.

Things got most serious at the big hill climb. It’s steep and technical, and a spotter named Keith was working it, moving rocks for some rigs and showing drivers where to go. We were second to last up the hill.

There’s a running joke that when John drives, spotters give up early. Keith gave him one quick signal, a little to the left, then dropped his hands and waved us through. We made it up. It went like that the whole day. We never needed a spotter.

Plenty of other drivers needed Keith, and that says nothing bad about them. Every driver brings a different comfort level, and every rig brings different capabilities.

I made my call back at the trailhead. I knew where my skill ran out on that trail, and I knew John’s didn’t run out there.

Which is a little ironic, because I’ve written a book about leadership, and its first chapter is called “The Passenger Seat.” That chapter is focused on the people sitting in it. It’s about leaders who drift, going along with decisions because staying quiet feels easier than choosing.

On Saturday, I rode in the passenger seat on purpose.

Choice and drift can put you in the same seat. What matters is whether you decided to be there. Part of leadership is knowing when to trust someone else to lead, and making that call with clear eyes.

That’s what the whole book is about: seeing the ground you’re actually standing on before you commit people to it.

Read the Terrain: Leadership Under Real Conditions launches November 2.

Paperback copy of Read the Terrain: Leadership Under Real Conditions by Laura K Spencer, Ed.D. The navy cover features orange title lettering over a topographic map with a winding blue trail line. An endorsement at the top reads: "Her insight into the danger of 'performed certainty' is sharp, practical, and deeply relevant." Scott Schimmel, President, YouSchool, author of Critical Foundations. — Read the Terrain: Leadership Under Real Conditions. Launching November 2.

Now for the ask.

I’m looking for 15 to 20 advance readers. (Thirty would make my year, but I’m trying to be a grown-up about this.)

If you raise your hand, you’ll get an ePub copy of the book next week. It runs about 150 pages, so think a few evenings with a cup of coffee. I’ll check in with you in mid-October to see how the reading is going.

What I’m hoping for in return is an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, or both, ideally during launch week (November 2 to 9), and no later than mid-November. Honest means honest. If a chapter didn’t work for you, say so. That’s more useful to me (and to the next reader) than five polite stars…even though I do love stars.

To join, fill out this short form by Sept 30: Book Launch Page

Oh, and here’s my question for you this week: where are you sitting in the passenger seat right now, and did you choose it?

Thanks for reading Read the Terrain! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Share

P.S. White Mountain has its own chapter in the book. The last time I wrote about that trail, the day ended with a two-vehicle winch and a sidewall caught on a rock. (This weekend went better.) Advance readers get the whole story first: https://forms.gle/xwjrCJjzLrV5yHNz7

Read the Terrain

My Leadership Book Has a Launch Date