Walking Together

"If you want to walk fast walk alone, if you want to walk far walk together" -- African Proverb

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Running and Leadership

I've recently restarted exercising for the first time in years.  And while running (a very short distance) this morning several thoughts occurred to me about the similarities between leadership and exercise, more specifically running (but I think they apply to other exercise as well).

Wise runners know that you must prepare for the exercise.  Once I got past about 25 years old, I realized I had to start stretching before I ran or I wouldn't be able to run as far, and I would pay for it later.  I can't just jump in and start doing but must get ready first.  Good leaders also recognize that sufficient preparation enables people and projects to go further and lessen the negative repercussions later.

Wise runners know that you build endurance.  When I started running three weeks ago, I didn't run a marathon.  Shoot, I didn't even run a mile that first day!  Now I'm up to about 2.5 miles, but it's been a slow endurance-building process.  Similarly, good leaders recognize that almost anything worth doing, and requiring leadership, takes endurance.  You don't ask family members, or new employees, or friends, to run a marathon right out of the gate.  You let them get used to an idea, and to doing bits of the work required, before asking them to go 26.2.

This point bears elaboration.  So much of our society focuses on people "hitting the ground running" as though there were no learning curve.  There is always a learning curve: even if I've done the same task 100 times in other places, or with other people, or at a different time, something is guaranteed to be different when I do it again.  New technology, new or changed personalities, my own life experiences, all these things make the way I approach a task different.  So instead of using the phrase "hit the ground running" maybe we need to change our terminology to recognize that there will always be a ramp-up time.  I think it's fine to delineate which elements are most important to have coming in, but people need to know there is space, and grace, to learn as well.  Running is the same way: I need technique, equipment, endurance, speed, strength ... and I need to know which of those are the most important to start exercising.

Wise runners know that you must push yourself beyond what you think you can do.  Already I've had many days where I think, "I can't run any further, I'm tired."  It probably doesn't help that my runs start by going uphill!  But I've set low enough goals for myself here at the beginning that I can encourage myself through the mental barrier.  And once I did that a couple of times, now I know I can push myself just a little more.  And it doesn't hurt that I know my return run will be downhill!  Good leaders also know that people are typically able to do more than they have done before but may just need a little encouragement (the "push").  Good leaders provide the opportunity for people to do something new, or something old in a new way, and empower people by affirming the skills and abilities they have to bring to bear on the task.

Wise runners know that the finish line is never the last finish line.  Each day I am glad to get back home, but I know the next day there is another run ahead of me.  I enjoy the satisfaction of finishing the day's run but I don't stop there or I lose everything I just worked to gain.  Similarly, good leaders help people to celebrate crossing the finish line but also set the stage for the next time.  Lessons learned sessions, project debriefings, exit interviews, or the like, help people process what they went through, what they learned and how they can use it in their ongoing lives.  This also shows a commitment not just to the task but also to the people, affirming their value as people.

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