DREIESKIVA​|Roald Kvam

A wise man once told me: “It takes serious leadership to run a consistently great year.” He was right.

Keeping the wheels turning year after year—whether you’re leading a team, a startup, or a fast-growing company—is no small feat. Life happens and hits hard. Weekends bleed on Mondays. No spreadsheet can fully account for the chaos of reality. Leadership isn’t just about following a plan—it’s about adapting when life throws punches. That’s when we need the boldness and agility of the frontier leader.

The Circle and the Edge

Imagine a circle. A solid center. A shifting periphery.

Most leaders stick to the center. They manage what’s known. They track the numbers, stabilize operations, and keep things running. I respect Center leaders—it takes real skill to sustain success over time. But today, I want to talk about the Frontier leaders—the ones who push boundaries, explore the edges, and expand what’s possible.

Think of the early pioneers of the Wild West. Scouts went first. Lightly packed, fast-moving, scanning the unknown. They saw things those inside the circle never could. They took risks. Then, they returned and tried to convince others to step into the wild with them.

The brave ones who followed? Pioneers. They moved beyond the known, carrying just enough to build something new. They made camp, marked the land, and began to turn wilderness into possibility.

And then came the Settlers. Heavily packed. Ready to lay foundations, build trade, create culture. They didn’t just survive in the new land—they made it home. They turned uncharted territory into a new center.

And just like that, the circle didn’t close. It expanded.

The Case for Frontier Leaders

Without frontier leaders, the world shrinks. The daily grind eats us alive. The unknown—whether it’s new markets, new technology, or new ideas—keeps pressing in, whether we like it or not.

Like weekends bleed into Mondays, like one season turns into the next, change is always at the door. The question isn’t if we’ll deal with it—the question is how.

Will we brace for impact? Or will we charge forward and meet it head-on?

Let’s stop waiting for the unknown to find us. Let’s go looking for it. Let’s make discomfort our compass.

Because playing it safe is the riskiest move of all.

Living at the Edge

Yes, stepping into the unknown is dangerous. Not every scout makes it back. Some pioneers get lost. Some settlers never get to enjoy the homes they build. That’s the price of progress.

But what’s the alternative? Staying inside the same old circle, pretending the frontier isn’t creeping in? That’s not safety—that’s stagnation.

The only way to stay strong is to keep moving forward—as a leader, a team, and an organization. You don’t have to quit your job or change your whole life. Just ask yourself:

Are you stepping into places you’ve never been before?

Three Frontier Mindsets

1. See reality as it is.
   Before you can change anything, you have to truly see it. Read the landscape. Understand the context. Get in the trenches with your people. That’s not just strategy—it’s empathy.
2. Expand at the edge of experience.
   Look for teachers in unexpected places. Seek out new challenges, new skills, new perspectives. Experiment boldly. The best opportunities aren’t in the center—they’re at the edges.
3. Redefine your boundaries.
   Your limits aren’t defined by what you know. They’re defined by what you believe. The real boundary isn’t a skill gap—it’s a mindset lacking courage.

The Call to the Frontier

Wherever you go, you bring your limits with you.

But here’s the good news: you also bring your courage.

So grab hold of it. Step out. Push the boundary.

There’s something waiting for you—at the frontier and beyond.

And always: Feel free to reach out to http://www.dreieskiva for courses and coaching.