LEADERSHIP SHORTCUTS

Today I’m going to turn the ‘pen’ over to a guest blogger. Her name is Natalie Marie Peterson, an NSCA Strength & Conditioning Coach and also a Master Situational Leadership® Trainer. Natalie has worked with us for many years at ‘DonBrown.Org’ and this guest blog came out of a discussion we had last week about ‘shortcuts’. I believe you’ll find a powerful message in what you’re about to read. “There are no shortcuts in life. We know better, yet we still try to find them in so many areas of our lives… • In traffic on the way home – which lane is moving fastest? • In the gym – can we skip the warm up to get done more quickly? • At work – can I do better than others to get ahead?” “Shortcuts are everywhere…diet pills, get rich quick schemes, plastic surgery, meds for the symptom, not the cause and 1-day ‘certifications’ to market a so-called mastery without having practiced. You get the picture.” “Why do we consistently look for shortcuts? It’s not a malicious act; I think it’s just that part of all driven people today that craves a view from the top – and wants it overnight. Well, guess what, all success is over night. It’s just that growth and development happen so gradually ‘each night’ that in order to gain the momentum we seek – we have to start noticing incremental progress – and celebrate that. The long uphill climb is what makes us genuinely and authentically who we are. There are no shortcuts, but there are ways to maximize the ground we cover as leaders: 1. Instead of competitively comparing ourselves to others, look to learn from them. When you’re looking at someone ‘uphill’, study what they do, do what they do. Insert their best practices into your life. 2. In the climb to the top, turn around and look to see who’s right behind you. One way to celebrate your own journey is to pause, reach back and give someone else a lift. They might benefit from the lessons you’ve learned that still lie ahead in their climb. Giving back enriches everyone.” “The great news is that we don’t have to be at the ‘top’ of the mountain to give back either. In fact, the top of the mountain does not exit…not unless you reach heaven.“ There are two very important messages I pull from Natalie’s words; one has to do with the incremental nature of growth. We don’t grow old overnight (although sometimes it feels like it!) and we don’t grow good overnight either. Mastery takes 10,000 hours. Give it its due course. The second message I take away from her counsel is all about the return for me…in helping you. There is great power in bringing out the best in another. Sometimes we suffer such tunnel vision about where we are going that we fail to look around, yet isn’t that our job as leaders? Isn’t our journey now all about them and not us…about their climb, not ours? (Feel free to contact Natalie Peterson directly: ‘npeterson@fitnessquest10.com’)