If people are looking to you to lead them, you may feel the pressure to have all the answers. But often, perfection is not what people are looking for — direction will usually suffice.

Even if you’re not where you want to be, having a plan and taking steps in that direction goes a long way. People realize leading is hard. Challenges and obstacles are inevitable. But if there’s no sense of forward-movement, it’s only a matter of time before people disengage.

So if you have a plan, let those following you know what it is — where you’re headed and what your next steps are. That alone can sustain hope, even when progress is slow-going.

And if you don’t have a plan or a direction, the sooner you figure that out the better. Because if people see no evidence that you’re leading them anywhere in particular, why should they continue to follow you there?