We’re all guilty of it—we don’t spend enough quality time with our rock stars. Don’t get me wrong, we certainly know who our rock stars are, but because they are the ones who’ve got it together, who deliver consistently, and who don’t cause us problems, we often let them do their thing so we can focus on putting out fires.

And this can be a detrimental mistake.

Our rock stars need us. They need us to, if nothing else, listen. They need us to recognize, affirm, and uplift. Even if they seem like they don’t, they actually do.

This truth hit me hard in the face two weeks ago. Zachary Anderson is our associate director of entrepreneurship at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and, as a rock star, he is often left to do his thing and do it well. “Zach’s good,” I would tell myself, “he’s got it together and I don’t need to bother him.”

Then I had the chance to join Zachary for a five-hour hike to summit Graybeard Mountain in Asheville. The hike back down, we talked. Just talked. About any and everything. And in the midst of that conversation, I learned more and understood more about teaching entrepreneurship and engaging students than I would have gleaned from multiple books.

It was amazing. Here I was, spending the last few months working diligently to distill the skills and standards of ensuring student engagement with the entrepreneurial mindset, and Zachary Anderson was able to deliver gold level content in the space of a few hours. Why did I wait so long to go on that hike with Zachary? Why was I searching for “acres of diamonds” in faraway fields instead of looking to the diamonds already in the program?

Leaders—don’t make my mistake. Schedule quality time with your rock stars and get ready to be amazed.

Ready to Move Ahead with Entrepreneurship? Reach out today.

Want to Hear More About My Conversation with Zachary?

Check out the Entrepreneurial Mindset Podcast

Look, I understand the value and significance of your time and your desire to carefully choose how to spend that time. That’s why my podcast is designed to not waste any of it—time, that is.

Each episode comes in around ten minutes and contains a key thought to help build and develop the entrepreneurial mindset. It’s applicability stems from administrators to teachers to students and everyone in between who is interested in developing the attributes of growth mindset, grit, redefining failure, and opportunity seeking.

Check it out today.