A number of years ago I was having sharp pains all over my abdominal area. I dealt with them for over a month. I even went to the ER one night only to get a pat on the back and reassurance I would be OK. One particular evening I had gone out to a very nice steak dinner with my parents and family to celebrate my birthday.
After putting the kids to bed my wife and I finished our dessert from the meal and soon after went to bed. At about 11:30 PM I woke up and the pain was different. I just knew something was going on. I told my wife she had to find someone to watch the kids and that I needed to go to the ER.
Now I can tolerate pain . . . for the most part. This evening when we got to the ER all I wanted is them to give me something to stop the pain. It was excruciating and I had just seen my entire dinner again if you know what I mean.
The next ten days are a fog. During the first five I was so medicated I barely remember people coming in and out of the hospital to visit. I remember a point during my stay where I felt like I was suffocating and had to be put on oxygen while having a tube down my throat. I cannot imagine what my family was feeling because I barely knew where I was. Finally, after numerous tests, the day after my birthday the doctors opened me up to remove a large section of my obstructed small intestine.
After my ten days in the hospital I now weighed 22 pounds less than when I entered, actually less than when I was a freshman in high school. I was gaunt and felt like I was 80 years old. I felt like I was climbing a mountain just to walk down the street five houses in beautiful Spring weather. The recovery was slow, but now years later I have memories and a large scar to remind me of the experience.
What does this have to do with leadership?
- Even in great adversity I had to lead myself – I was in the middle of completing my Masters and in spite of my situation I had to be disciplined to complete work to keep me moving forward. (I know … I am a little too “Type A”) As a leader we want to shut down and give up during the adversity, but the hardest person we have to lead is ourselves and keep taking one step at a time.
- No matter how painful the problem, you have to find a solution – I was dealing with this issue for over a month and I tried to ignore it, but obviously I had to deal with the issue. In leadership there may be an obstacle or challenge we want to avoid, but if the problem is important enough no matter how hard we try, we will have to solve it.
- Growth takes time – It took me at least a year to get close to where I was physically before the surgery. I was frustrated and I am impatient, but over time I got back. Leaders tend to want results yesterday, but as with our bodies physically it takes time to grow whether that is developing other leaders, an organization, or something else. We need to continually take patient action.
What about you? What leadership challenge are you facing at work or home that if you do not face it head on it will become an emergency? Do you need someone to coach you through the process and hold you accountable? Click Here if you want to learn about the coaching process.
If you found this helpful share it with others or share your thoughts below. Remember pain is temporary and growth is a process. You can do it!
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