Get Up and Run

As I was driving past Memorial Park on the way to a client meeting in the Texas Medical Center, I saw a woman dressed in scrubs running.  I wondered what she was running away from, toward or for.  She was so focused.  I imagined it was for all three reasons.  She was running away from a stressful situation, running toward recapturing her joy, running FOR her life.  I considered her choice regarding where she chose to run this day - into the woods, away from the concrete and metal, to let nature surround her, hold her in its loving hands to heal, re-energize, and connect with her Higher Self and guiding spirits.  What a perfect choice.

Then, as I turned the corner, I saw another woman sitting on a curb, crying her eyes out.  My hope was that she, too, would get up and run.

Snow Skiing - Lessons in Leadership #5

Today is my first day back at work after a glorious skiing vacation. I started to title this blog as "Snow Skiing - Lessons in Leadership FINAL," but I know that's not true. So many times, vacations serve as stimuli for creative innovation for many days, months, years, to come. When was the last time you excused yourself from work and, in the midst of pure play, you discovered not one, but many, possible solutions to the problem situtations that only days ago seemed so perplexing and maybe insurmountable? Take a vacation. It'll do wonders for your soul, your mind, and your work! So, on to my blog, enjoy the lessons learned from my vacation, and then before you head back to work, schedule some vacation time for yourself!
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Lesson #5:

I have to admit – I’m a bit afraid of heights. The calves of both legs start tingling to let me know when I’ve reached the height when I should be scared, just in case I’m not paying attention. Yea, right. But I went snow skiing anyway. And you know when you snow ski, you have to get on those chair lifts. And some of them don’t even have bars in front of you to hold you in place. No, your legs just dangle off the chair and you hold on to the poles, the sides, your partner, whatever and whomever you can find. Terrifying? No. A bit scary? Yes. Definitely, yes!

So why do I do it? Why subject myself to these heights that I know will scare me? It’s because I don’t want to stay in the status quo, doing the same things, experiencing the same emotions. I want to stretch myself to experience new events and gain new perspectives. And, yes, even if that means it scares me just a bit. Learning something new, stretching myself beyond my comfort zone – that’s what living and growing is all about.

And taking the chair lift was just the beginning. Next, I challenged myself to advance from the “green” (easy) slopes to the “blue” (more difficult) slopes. At the top of the mountain at the height of these blue slopes, the view looked straight down the mountain. My calves were really beginning to sing out loud then. But I did it. I conquered my fear and overcame my inner voice that begged me to stay on the easy slopes where it was safe. The result? I did it. I got down the mountain, and, yes, I experienced a few tumbles along the way. But, I got up, dusted off the snow, and kept going with determination and pride in doing something pretty different, radical, and challenging for me! Reaching deep into my soul to bring out that inner resolve and stretch beyond my fear, I was able to break through obstacles like the icy trails, snow flurries and crazy strong winds. It gave me a sense of wonder, awe, and confidence that I never would have experienced otherwise.

When was the last time that you did something outside of your comfort zone, that really stretched your capabilities, and yes, scared you just a bit? When was the last time that you were able to experience the incredible rush of confidence gained from a stellar accomplishment (or a helluva good try), ripe with some pretty significant challenges? Well, that’s too long. Get out of your comfort zone. Get going. Get moving. Stretch yourself and your capabilities. Feel the pride of overcoming something truly significant. Experience the joy of accomplishment!

Snow skiing - lessons in leadership #4

Getting off the chair lift was beginning to get rougher and rougher each day. By Day 3, Keith, my brother-in-law astutely observed it was because I was letting the chair intimidate me. He was right. I was locking up, getting tense and becoming too stiff when I got to the point on the lift when the signs said, “Get ready to unload. Tips up. “

So, with this observation and feedback, I took the next lift, determined to relax and let go of the fear. I concentrated on capturing my confidence and enjoying my surroundings at the same time. Seeing the beauty around me gave me a focus that overpowered any fear and intimidation that the chair had previously held for me.

How many times do we forget the ‘big picture’ of what we’re working for? As leaders, our job is to point out the vision of where we’re heading. We have the responsibility to encourage our employees to see beyond the daily routine of their individual jobs. As Tammy, my sister-in-law said, “Look around. This is why we ski.” Help your employees see the vision and learn how they can contribute to getting there.

Snow skiing - lessons in leadership #3

Of all the things that Rich said to me that morning, I remember best his repeated statement, “Okay, let’s go have some fun.” He’d say this before we got on the chair lift and before we hit the slopes to practice and perfect the lessons learned just minutes before. “Have fun.” Of course! What else in the world are we supposed to be having, yet how often we get caught up in the day-to-day (or the lesson) that we forget what we’re doing (at work) in the first place?

Have fun. Enjoy what you’re doing. Love what you do. Otherwise, forget it. Get out. Quit. Life’s too short. Find something else that you do love and that you’ll look forward to every morning…just like Rich. He's been teaching ski lessons for over 45 years and loves it. The look on his face told the truth. He loves it.

Snow Skiing - lessons in leadership #2

On the slopes, Rich demonstrated what to do and then asked me to follow. Upon observation, he didn’t bombard me with everything that I had done incorrectly. Each time down the slopes, he identified one thing that I could do differently (he never used the word “wrong”) to help me control my speed or perfect my turns.

Rich also used my name to offer praise and encouragement. “Great, Jill. Much better that time.” He would also call my name out when he wanted to get my attention to stop bad habits. “Jill, look up. Jill, stand up.” Apparently, I was crouching over so much that he said that I must have been looking for money.

On the chair lift, Rich and I talked about our careers. He had been instructing for over 45 years and told me that he was forever learning. That was his secret to success. As a ski instructor to ski instructors, Rich said, “Although they were full of energy and enthusiasm, they were too ambitious, wanting to teach their students everything all at once. And, fact is, students will only remember 1-2 things at best.”

Let me tell you, when I hit the higher slopes later that afternoon, I could hear Rich’s voice, “Jill, stand up. Jill, look up.” The two things that he wanted me to remember and focus on, I did.

How many times do we point out all the wrong things that employees do all at once? Do we really think that’s motivating or inspiring them to perform correctly? How many times do we compliment or praise employees for the subtle changes in behavior that we notice? Upon seeing the difference between Day 1 and Day 2 skiing performance, Keith and his wife, Tammy, both remarked upon the improvements. They made sure that we knew that they could see the difference even if we couldn’t tell yet. Encouraging? Yes! Motivating? Yes! We gained confidence to extend our reach to the top of the mountain, practicing, and perfecting our lessons learned.

How did you spend Leap Day this Year

I spent this Leap Day snow skiing and experiencing lessons in leadership! I haven’t been snow skiing in 30 years and let me tell you – I felt it in every bone in my body on the first day of skiing. A bit too determined to recapture the glory years, I tried too hard to keep up with the expertise of my fellow travelers. Finally, ego aside, I signed up for ski lessons for the second morning. That’s when I realized that I had so much to learn….. and it was a bit overwhelming and intimidating. But I had progressed from unconscious incompetence (not knowing what I didn’t know) to the level of conscious incompetence - I knew what I needed to learn.

When I met Rich, the ski instructor, he asked what I wanted to focus on for the lessons. “My goal,” I said, “is to control my speed and turns.” I also told Rich, “I know that you can see what I’m doing better than I ever will, and you’ll be able to offer me constructive feedback on what I can do to correct, improve, or stop doing.”

As managers and leaders, offering specific feedback to employees is one of the most important skills you can develop. If employees don’t know what they are doing, they’ll keep repeating the same mistakes over and over, never knowing what they are doing, what needs improving, what needs eliminating.

Asking Rich to be my instructor was one of the best gifts that I could have given myself during this ski trip. With his keen eyes and sincere desire to assist, he was able to offer me specific feedback to help eliminate actions that were leading me to fall and implement new behaviors to keep me standing tall and moving with control down the slopes.

As leaders, if we hesitate to provide employees with specific feedback to improve performance, they may never know what they’re doing is off the mark and continue to repeat the same mistakes.