I smiled and quietly chuckled as I walked to the end of my driveway. “Hey, buddy . . . You need any help?”

Without looking away from his newfound prize, I heard a tiny strained response. “Nah . . . I’ve got it,” grunted the blonde-headed, five-year-old, cul-de-sac warrior wearing only a pair of neon shorts.

“You sure?” I inquired again as I continued toward my neighbor’s youngest son.

With another forced grunt and a shove with all his might, he finally forced the oversized cardboard box from the curb into the dead-end road.

“Whatcha got there?” I asked as I watched the little fella continue imitating a two-legged bulldozer.

He paused to catch his breath, looked up at me, and revealed his snaggled and incomplete set of baby teeth. “I’m making a fort!”

I offered my assistance once more. “Looks like you’re gonna have a good one. A big ol’ joker, too. You sure you don’t need any help with that heavy thing?”

“Naw . . . I can do it.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Ask any five-year-old if they need help, and the answer is usually the same. There is a slight possibility they’ll request your help if they’ve exhausted all other options and haven’t completely lost interest in their original goal.

As a leader, how often do you find yourself trying to “build a fort” without enlisting the help of a more talented teammate (friend, family member, coworker, paid consultant, etc.)?