I’m sitting on a bench on a cloudy day in the woods in Southern Indiana as I watch my oldest son seeking to reach the top of a climbing wall for the first time. We are at a Father/Son camp experience and he has tried to climb this wall multiple times over the years. The last time he did it with me present a wasp intervened and stung his leg. On this particular day a loose rock prevented him from reaching the goal as it caused him to slip.
He looks down when he is about two-thirds of the way up and yells, “Do I get some red juice if I make it?”
I don’t answer because I want him intrinsically motivated to accomplish his goal.
He continues to climb and I help him to see what he can’t see such as where to place his feet because a rock may be between his legs and he is unaware. He takes each step up and with great care reaches up and touches the top of the wall looking down while I take pictures.
As I reflected on that climb I saw three key principles that apply to leadership. Leadership is like climbing up a wall. Whether at home or work the following three principles from his climb apply to our leadership.
- Hold Your Vision – My son had a desire to reach the top, now the desire for another glass of juice may have helped him persist, but the desire kept him climbing. With every step he got closer and as long as he held in his sight the ultimate goal he was going to get there. As leaders we must have clear vision. We must know where we are going and keep that ultimate vision in front of us whether that is to meet a business benchmark, personal goal, or help a child reach a personal benchmark they may not even be aware they have.
- Listen to the Right Voice – We all have thoughts that come into our minds. Which ones do we allow to stay? Is it the voice like mine that continually encouraged my son that he could do it or are we tuning into the voice that instills doubt and fear? The thoughts we allow to remain in our minds impact our leadership. What we feed our minds from the outside can either help or hinder us from fulfilling the vision.
- One Step At a Time – Climbing is never easy. Unless you have super powers it will always require one step at a time. As my son struggled up the wall there were times he had to pause and consider the next best move which worked sometimes and at times did not. As leaders we need the big picture, but the implementation takes one step at a time.
What is the leadership climb you are on right now? Do you have someone helping you see the next move to reach your vision? Are you listening to the right voice? Anything worth having will be an uphill climb. Who do you have encouraging you and coaching you along the way? Whatever the vision whether at work or home continue to take one step at a time and like my son you will reach the top, look down, and smile . . . . then get ready to climb again. Lead well at work and home today and let me know any way I can help you.
©2018 Wheeler Coaching Systems, All Rights Reserved
