Remembering the Tortoise

So, all summer I’ve been working towards a goal.  I’m aiming to run a 10 km race in the fall, and I’ve set myself the objective of training diligently this summer.  Last summer I ran a 5km in California, and while I didn’t run it straight, I could run 3km without stopping fairly easily.  This summer, that 3 km straight stretch has eluded me.  Every time I’ve gone out, I’ve been able to make it about 2/3 of the way before my lungs would get the better of me and I’d have to stop and walk for a bit.  Needless to say, I’ve been VERY frustrated, primarily because it felt like I’d not only failed to make any progress, but that I had in fact regressed, so-to-speak.

Well, this past weekend, I had a breakthrough thought.  What if I was going too fast?  As in, what if my pace was too fast to allow me to actually achieve what I wanted?  As I contemplated this idea, I was reminded of Aesop’s fable of the tortoise and the hare.  In that fable, the hare was convinced that he would win the race due to his unparalleled speed.  The tortoise set out to win the race — and did — by sheer determination and persistence, no speed at all.

Now, believe it or not, I’ve actually got a fairly quick pace that I run out.  I don’t have all that long a stride, but I do run quickly.  Slowing down is a challenge for me.  So I enlisted the help of my husband and asked him to help me slow things down.  Having him alongside me, I was able to take things down a notch — not a lot — but enough that I could breathe easily and move steadily; I didn’t get worn out, and I could actually push through the discomfort that arose.  As a result, I did run the full 3km without stopping — first time out of the gate, by using this new strategy.

Without wanting to make this lesson into more than it is, it occurs to me that this concept — the idea of moving slowly, steadily and with determination towards a set goal — can apply to objectives of all sorts.  Whether it’s the realization of a business plan, the acquisition of some treasure, the launching of a program, the building of wealth, or whatever else you might think of, keeping your eye on the ball, moving slowly but steadily toward that ball, and enlisting the support of those around you can serve immeasurably.

Bottom-line?  Well, there are a couple.  The obvious one is that “slow and steady wins the race.”  Less obvious is the fact that finding a supporter to walk with you is priceless.  And finally, when in doubt, consult a children’s fable; you’re bound to find a learning nugget or two.

Effective Leadership and The Secret

Several years ago, the movie “The Secret” was released and the self-help world hasn’t been the same since.  Some loved the movie and the concepts it put forth; some hated it; very few were unaffected.  I myself was resistant to watching the movie for the longest time, primarily because the title didn’t resonate with me.  From all I had heard, it seemed like a misrepresentation — there was nothing secretive at all about the content, as far as I could tell.  Packaging it as “The Secret”, however, was a brilliant marketing move.  After all, who doesn’t want to be privy to a secret?

All that being said, I did eventually watch it.  I’ll even admit that I bought a copy of the movie for my own periodic reference.  And, having watched the movie several times, here’s something I want you to know:  “The Secret” as presented is incomplete.  That is what I find most frustrating about the package.  A critical element has been left out, and as a result, many people are no further ahead in the manifestation and achievement of their dreams and goals.  “Ask, Believe, Receive” is put forth as the general sequence required for one to bring dreams into reality; however, these three steps alone will not work without one critical piece — action.

“Asking” and “Believing”, when combined, can essentially be equated to visualization.  Based on the sequence as presented in “The Secret”,once you ask and believe, receiving should come about naturally. There needs to be an element of action, however, that follows the asking and believing — simply visualizing is not enough.  Dreams do not become reality as a result of staring at a picture.  Period.

So, what are the implications for leadership?  As a leader, you’ve got a vision, I guarantee it.  There’s something you’ve got your heart set on creating, achieving, doing.  Taking time each day to visualizing that thing, whatever it is — see it, imagine the details — is essential.  And, equally essential is taking some action towards the achievement of that goal.  The action doesn’t have to be monumental; it can in fact be small in comparison.  But it does need to be taken.  Examples of small, but definite actions include:

1. share your dream with someone — tell people what you’re striving for
2. do some research
3. develop a plan (business plan, 3-year plan, building plan)
4. connect with people who can support you

These are simple examples of small but concrete actions.  Taking action that directly relates to whatever it is you’re striving to create is what will bring your dream to reality in the end.

Bottom-line: visualization is good.  You need to visualize because you need to know what you’re striving for.  So go ahead, ASK for something and BELIEVE that you’ll get it.  Before you can actually RECEIVE what you’re asking for, however, you’re going to have to take some ACTION.  Action always preceded the actual receiving.  That, my friends, is the real secret.

Time to Bite the Bullet

“We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success.”  ~Henry David Thoreau

For the past few weeks — heck, it’s probably been closer to a month — I’ve been playing with an idea.  I think it’s a pretty good idea, another path for moving forward to the creation of something good in the world.  If I’m going to be honest, I’ve had a couple of ideas that I’ve been playing with and exploring, but this one idea is the one that’s top-of-mind today.

As I’ve sat with the idea, I’ve looked at it’s merits and flaws from every possible angle.  I’ve shared my potential plans with one or two people I trust, seeking their perspective into how this might or might not serve the bigger picture.  My sense as I write this blog post this morning is that I’ve got answers to virtually every question I can possibly think of, and the few questions that remain can get answered as I move forward, however I choose to move forward.  And therein lies the kicker.

Using Thoreau’s quote above as a descriptor of where I’m at, my sense is that it’s time for me to leap.  I’ve been very conscious and deliberate up until this moment, and I think that’s a good thing.  I don’t believe that there’s anything I’m consciously overlooking — and I am aware that there are some things I don’t know.  These “unknowns” are what could hold me back from what otherwise seems like a good move.  And, I’ve decided that I’m not going to hold myself back.  I’m going to leap — and so I sent off an email to the person involved, to let her know that I’d like to move ahead.  The ball’s in her court now; I’ve made my leap.  (I promise I’ll let you in on the details of the leap once I hear what her decision is   ).

One of the things I know for sure is that when one wears the mantle of leadership, this sort of scenario — the scenario whereby one finds herself at the point of leaping, but still unsure of some answers — is all too common.  You see, you can’t always have all the answers, as much as you would like to.  And my sense is that this where you get to walk that fine line of knowing as much as you can, and then taking a chance.  That’s what leadership is all about.  Sometimes, you’ve got to leap into the unknown.  Due diligence is required — to a point.  Then you’ve got to take a risk.

Bottom-line: if you wait until you have all the answers, you’ll wait forever.  Because you cannot have all of the answers, I’m not even sure if you can have most of the answers.  I do know that you can have some of the answers.  And then you’ve just got to do what feels right, and adjust your course of action as necessary, when necessary, from thereon in.

Say What You Need to Say … And Nothing More

This post is based on a learning from this morning.  Or at least a concrete experience of a learning that I had a while ago.

Let me begin by saying that  I am a really honest person.  My brother says that I’m honest to a fault.  And I’m beginning to see what he means by that.  My philosophy has always been to tell the whole truth — the good, the bad, the ugly — and deal with the consequences.  And oftentimes, the consequences were far harder to be with than any particular truth, no matter how bad or ugly (the good truths are rarely hard to be with).

Recently, I made a decision about how I wanted to move forward in my life.  Along with the decision, came certain courses of action.  Some people cheered my choices, others thought they were foolish (not that I told many people, but I did tell a few).  What I realized is that my choices won’t always meet with unanimous approval or understanding or acceptance.  Judgments abound, and I don’t like judgments.

Now came the hard part.  As someone who’s honest to a fault, my natural inclination is to share every detail of every choice I make, with everybody involved.  What I’m realizing is that I actually don’t have to do that.  I can absolutely be honest (e.g., “I have to make this choice at this time”), however, I do not have to be an open book; I can leave specifics (e.g., the reason for my choice) out of the story and still get the fundamental part of my truth across.  What’s the advantage?  Well, so far what I’m experiencing is that when I can leave the details out, I can avoid having to deal with unsavoury judgments.

There’s a voice in my head that says I’m letting myself off the hook here; my guess is that it’s the same voice that has convinced me that anything less than the whole truth is a lie.  What I know now, however, is that the essential part of the truth — the core message — is what really matters.  Details can and do flesh things out, provide context and even insight.  And sometimes, those very details can be too much information.

Bottom-line:  I guess I’m realizing that I can be a person of integrity, without having my life be an open book.  Integrity is about sharing what needs to be shared, what serves the whole picture.  That’s what I’m going to play with for the next little bit.  Always tell the truth, and not necessarily all that I know.  (I think Maya Angelou said something to this effect once…smart woman she is )

The Opportunity to Walk My Talk

The week ahead is going to be a weird one for me.  Technically, I’m at work all week; I’ve got projects, meetings, clients — all that normal work stuff to attend to.  However, my husband — who’s usually home and available to assist with childcare issues — is away at his annual week-long union meeting  — his one-and-only work commitment of the summer — until the school year begins again.

In the past, I’ve generally chosen to take this week off in it’s entirety.  The kids and I have hung out, played games, watched movies, had fun — all good stuff.  This year, I’m going to engage in some of that.  But because I sit on a couple of community Boards of Directors, as luck would have it, this is the week where they’re all meeting.  And I don’t feel like I can bail.  So, I’m going to be juggling things a bit.

Why am I writing about this?  Well, it feels to me like this week is providing me a brilliant opportunity to walk my talk.  As I look to the week ahead, I’m aware of all that needs to get accomplished — all that I’d like to accomplish — both on a professional and personal level.  And let me tell you, there’s a LOT I’d like to accomplish.  My general life philosophy, however, is all about balance — balance in the sense of honouring the values that are most important to me, as opposed to dividing my time equally.  And this week brings many of these values into competition with one another, more often than not.  So what I’m realizing, is that I’m going to have a myriad of moments where I get to model the skill of consciously choosing what to honour, and then allowing my choice to be perfect.  This is going to be fun.

What I know for sure is that I’m engaged in walking my talk — or at least doing my best to do so — every moment of every day.  Some situations bring the whole walking-your-talk thing into the spotlight.  As a leader, knowing when this spotlight is on, and taking advantage of the spotlight as an opportunity to hone your skill is a good thing.  So here’s my question of you today:  do you know what your talk is?  Are you walking it?  And if not, what will it take for you to do so?  Happy pondering!  More another time

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