GROWTH

31
Oct
2022

Fear as A Path to Growth

               This is the time of year in the United States where people celebrate Halloween.  This my least favorite holiday.  Don’t get me wrong, I like the candy but there is nothing good for me by eating the candy.

What this holiday represents is the idea of fear.  It celebrates fear and I want to suggest that the only thing to celebrate about fear is that it is our path to growth.

What do I mean by that?  Allow me to reflect on the thoughts of some other people around this idea.  I discussed this idea of fear in a past blog highlighting two perspectives on the idea, but this time I want to highlight how fear relates to growth.

The Ledge

Imagine standing at the edge of a cliff ready to jump off.  Why am I standing there?  Because I am tied to a rope and about to rappel down the side of a mountain.  The nerves are high, and all types of thoughts go through my mind.  Primarily “what if” scenarios.  I must face my fear.

In his classic book Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill suggests:

“Fears are nothing more than states of mind.”

When looking over the ledge there is a legitimate concern that stepping off will end poorly, but what causes me to step off the ledge.  I replace the state of fear with faith in the rope and those who hold it.  The fear is real and what I focus on can make it decrease or increase.

As leaders we stand on the ledge of a choice to grow.  Grow our team, grow our business, grow personally.  The choice will take us into the fear zone which leads us to how we grow.

Stay Uncomfortable

In his book No Limits leadership expert John Maxwell discusses how to grow our capacity.  He shares a story about an experience he read of a man’s month long training experience with a Navy Seal.  At one point “SEAL” said to this man:

”If you don’t challenge yourself, you don’t know yourself.”

This is the state where as a leader you have to face the fear of the unknown and get uncomfortable.  Kind of like stepping off the ledge even with all the “what ifs” flying through your mind.  Only in this state of discomfort can we push the boundaries of ourselves and our team to determine what we can truly accomplish.

Be Wise

One last thought on fear.  We don’t want to ignore it because it can warn us.  We walk in a dark alley that does not feel right and we are afraid.  This fear puts us on alert to impending danger so our senses are heightened.

We don’t want to be reckless as leaders.  When looking over the ledge I was attached to a rope, but still was afraid.  When looking at a new idea or opportunity, listen to the concerns your team mentions because there is a fine line between courageous and foolish you don’t want to cross.

Sit long enough with the fear to discern:

  1. Is this fear based on something that could destroy everything we’ve accomplished?
  2. Is this fear based on my selfish desire for comfort?
  3. Is this fear that I need to be aware of as a risk when I take the next step?

Fear is normal and healthy when we do not allow ourselves to get trapped.  What causes us to get stuck?  Believing something that is not true is true.

Where are you?  On the ledge, too comfortable, or maybe reckless and not being wise?  Take time today to look at the opportunity you’ve been thinking about yet holding back.  Ask the questions above, get advice from trusted advisors, and when it’s time . . . step off the ledge.  Lead Well!

© 2022 Wheeler Coaching Systems

Posted by Randy Wheeler in Lead Yourself
05
Sep
2022

Leading Through the Stages

I recently read The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership by Tim Elmore.  He discussed Ichak Adizes stages of an organization’s life cycle.1  This language is beneficial for leaders to evaluate where their organization presently stands.  Below are a few of the stages with some modifications on terms and an idea of how to lead in each stage.

Birth

This stage is also known as the startup stage.  In this stage leaders fight to get their idea off the ground.  They daily hustle to prove the concept, themselves, or make enough sales to get positive cash flow.  This is an exciting and exhausting stage.

As a leader the most difficulty person to lead especially in this stage is yourself.  Create habits that will help you win the mindset battles.  Develop habits that force you to engage in business growth activities daily.  Discipline yourself to avoid chasing new ideas until the time is right.  Finally, have people in your inner circle who encourage you to persist when you want to quit.

Growth

Often, I work with leaders in growing teams and small business leaders who are experiencing growth.  During this stage the organization is moving fast and there is a temptation to capitalize on every opportunity.  This also is an exciting stage, but if you are not careful you may fall which I will discuss in a moment.

At this stage leaders need to get clarity of vision.  Take time to slow down to clarify what the organization or team is about.  This clarity prevents chasing good opportunities that do not align with your purpose.  At this stage it may seem counterintuitive to create time to think into this because you are so busy.  Slowing down to clarify your vision will help you to grow more intentionally.

Adolescence

At this point your organization is established.  You have clarity around what your organization’s purpose is.  Cash flow is solid and as the founder you feel pretty good about it, but a little overwhelmed because you know deep down you are doing too much.

As the leader you need to let go and empower.  Take time to evaluate what is the best use of your time for the organization and then train and equip others to lead the other areas.  Just like adolescence this stage can be awkward as the founder since you are letting go of what you have done for years.

The task may be done differently than you would do it but accomplish the same result.  Take a deep breath, let go, and be there to assist as needed.  The reality is someone else can and probably will take care of that responsibility better than you and catapult the organization to greater results.

A Caution on Success

Jim Collins wrote an excellent book How the Mighty Fall which describes what he found causes great organizations to fall.  I do not have time to go into the details here, but one I will highlight is the undiscipline pursuit of more.  Success is exciting, but also elusive.  If we are not careful, we just pursue the next adventure for the thrill or the financial rewards.

As a leader maintain clarity of vision in your pursuit of more growth.  Collins suggests the best leaders see the need to surround themselves with a great leadership team.  This team keeps the organization focused on the core values to guide their pursuit of more.  More is good when it aligns with your purpose and passion, but more for the sake of more can lead to a fall.

Which stage are you in.  Need help thinking into strategies on how to grow through the stage you are in toward the next stage?  Contact me for a powerful coaching session at no cost to you or a strategic planning session with your team.  In the meantime, lead well.

© 2022 Wheeler Coaching Systems, All Rights Reserved

  1. https://site.adizes.com/lifecycle/
  2. https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2018/01/11/business-life-cycle-spectrum-where-are-you/?sh=7f0b80c1ef5e
  3. Collins, Jim. How the Mighty Fall.  Harper Collins: New York.
Posted by Randy Wheeler in Lead at Work
09
Jan
2022

Leadership Stretch

When I was a teenager I could go into the weight room and pick up weights without a warm up and have zero consequences.  Multiple decades later this is NOT the case.  If I do that something will pull, strain, tear, or worse!  I must warm up and stretch.

Stretching is neither fun nor enjoyable.  On top of that the results neither come quickly nor are they glamourous.  The older I get the more essential stretching becomes, but not just physically.

In his book The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth leadership expert John Maxwell discuss the “Law of the Rubber Band” which states:

“Growth stops when you lose the tension between where you are and where you could be.”

As we age we are tempted to stick with what is safe, comfortable, and easy.  There is a downside to this.  We stay the same.  If we choose to stay comfortable, we fail to become the person and leader we were created to be.  Allow me to suggest an idea of how to stretch in four areas of self-leadership.

Physically

Since 1950 sedentary jobs have increased 83% according to the American Heart Association.  John Hopkins has found that only about 20% of the U.S. workforce has physically active jobs.1  Other parts of the world such as Uganda and China do not have this problem.2  How do we grow in this area?

Move.  Whatever that looks like in your life.  Get a Fitbit to remind you to move every hour.  Stand at work.  Build in an exercise routine of walking, pushups, or working out at a gym.  At first this may be painful because it will be a change, but the energy gained will be worth the discomfort of change.

Mentally

“Where success is concerned, people are not measured in inches, or pounds, or college degrees, or family background; they are measured by the size of their thinking.”

David Schwartz

Thinking takes energy and a great resource I have found to get better at thinking is How Successful People Think by John Maxwell.  The digital program is excellent.  To grow our thinking we need to create space in our schedule and a place to think.  For me that is in the morning before anyone else is up.  Maybe having a journal to write your thoughts will stretch you.  Have one question to reflect on and write about it.  See how stretching your thinking helps you grow.

Emotionally

How do we stretch emotionally?  That sounds different.  I would suggest it could either be self-control or vulnerability.  As a leader you may be tempted to keep your struggles to yourself.  Who in your life could you process the fears and frustrations with and be more vulnerable?  Maybe you allow your emotions to take control and you say things you regret.  Taking time to slow down and take a deep breath or walk away and come back may be a stretch if you just want to “get it off your chest.”  In the long run vulnerability and self-control will help us connect and lead more effectively.

Spiritually

I am a person of faith and you can skip this if you want.  I would suggest this may be the biggest area of stretching because it pushes us to think into our purpose.  Maybe the first stretch in this area is considering there may be someone bigger than us in control.  For me embracing this truth decreases the burden stress brings.  In my book When I Am Afraid I provide a forty day journey to move from fear to trust.  If this is an area you want to stretch in check out the resource and let me know if you find it helpful.

Which of these areas do you need to stretch in?  I’d love to know.  Need a partner in this journey to help you think into any of these areas of self-leadership?  Contact me for a no cost to you thirty-minute coaching session.  Stretching is not comfortable but done consistently we grow and improve our results.  Keep stretching and lead well.

© 2022 Wheeler Coaching Systems, All Rights Reserved

  1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2019/03/06/americans-sit-more-than-anytime-in-history-and-its-literally-killing-us/?sh=3a91bf94779d retrieved Jan. 3, 2022
  2. https://ergonomictrends.com/sedentary-lifestyle-sitting-statistics/ retrieved Jan 3, 2022
Posted by Randy Wheeler in Lead Yourself
02
Jan
2022

Goals to Growth

The annual clock has turned and maybe you have set some goals for this new year.  If you are reading this when it has been posted hopefully you haven’t failed already.  Those of you encountering this around mid-January have possibly hit some bumps.

I have a habit of daily going to the gym and those of us that are regulars smile around January.  During the first couple of weeks people get inspired to go to the gym and we see them in full force at the beginning of the first week.  Then slowly over the next couple weeks they all seem to disappear.  What causes this?

Muscle soreness and the difficulty is part of it.  Not seeing results quick enough possibly could be a reason.  I would suggest a shift in mindset could help.  A shift from goals to growth.  Here are a few shifts that may help you as you pursue something you are trying to reach.

From Passionate to Persistent

We’ve all set a goal and been passionately determined to accomplish it.  I have some goals I’ve established both on a personal and professional level and I’m excited about it.  Here is the problem.  Passion is like the first two hundred meters in a mile race.  We start hard and then run out of energy to finish the race.

Here is the first shift.  Have a passion that is like an established fire.  The slow strong burn from big logs versus the fast flame from twigs that burn out quickly.  How do we build that?  Being persistent.  James Clear in his book Atomic Habits (a great book on changing habits by the way) captures the role of persistence when he says:

“You do not rise to the level of your goals.  You fall to the level of your systems.”1

Systems create a way to be consistent.  To be consistent requires persistence.  As we maintain that commitment even when we don’t feel the passion, we grow and reach our goals.

From Fast to Far

Leadership expert and author John Maxwell heard when he was younger that if he wanted to become an expert on something he needed to spend one hour a day for five years learning about the topic.  He began this journey and wanted to get there fast around year three something shifted.  He went from asking “how fast can I get there?” to “how far can I go?”

This is another shift from goals to growth.  The problem with fast is we get there and then look for the next goal, but may not have learned anything along the way.  Truett Cathy of Chick-Fil-A captures this idea when he responded to people telling him he had to expand the organization.  He said:

“If we get better, our customers will demand that we get bigger.”2

Do you have a goal to get big fast?  Maybe you need to pause to think how you need to grow so others demand that what you lead gets bigger.  Maybe your team needs to be developed to handle growth.  Think far not fast and see what happens.

From Do to Become

I like to get things done.  When I was in college my thinking shifted.  I was concerned with what I could do to feel worthwhile and of value.  I had some people speak into my life during that time who reminded me I am not a human “doing”, but a human “being.”

I believe each of us has been designed on purpose for a purpose.  Yes, the purpose involves doing something, but our value is not in what we achieve or what we do.  Our value is in who and whose we are.  This final shift is recognizing we are on a journey to grow to our full potential to accomplish what we were put here to accomplish.  That may be building a business, being the best at a specific technical skill, being a great spouse and parent, or many other possib.  I think John Maxwell put it best in his book Leadershift when he said:

“When you get better, it makes you bigger.  Growth is sustaining.  Growth is the only guarantee that tomorrow will be better than today.”

My friend how will you shift from goals to growth?  Need help breaking through thinking that is preventing you from growing?  Contact me for a no cost to you coaching session.  Grow to your full potential and lead well.

© 2021 Wheeler Coaching Systems, All Rights Reserved

 

  1. Clear, James. Atomic Habits.  New York: Avery, 2018.
  2. Andy Stanley, “Better Before Bigger,” Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast, May 3, 2013, MP3 audio, https.//store.northpoint.org/better-before-bigger.html.
Posted by Randy Wheeler in Lead Yourself
19
Apr
2021

Fixed or Growth Mindset?

I was talking with a friend of mine one day about work.  He was very frustrated and wanted to continue to see opportunities in his job, but he felt stuck.  I said, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Which of these most resonates with you:  ‘this is how I am and always will be’ or ‘Up until now I’ve been this way, but I can change’?”

He paused for a moment and said, “the first one.”

We continued our conversation and after asking his permission I explained the difference between a fixed and growth mindset.  In my two phrases above the first is a fixed mindset while the second is growth.  Why does this even matter?

Our mindset affects every aspect of our lives.  How we approach our work, money, family, leadership of others, and most importantly leading ourselves.  This foundational focus influences how we make leadership decisions.  Let me explain.

Limited to Plenty

Imagine you have an uncut pie in front of you and there are fifteen people who want some.  We can look at that pie and say, “there is only enough for some of us to eat the pie” or is there another way?  We can see the pie and think “there is plenty for all of us to each have a slice.”  This perspective influences everything.

When I’ve had a business deal not go the way I want I have a choice in that moment.  Will I get depressed and think there will never be another opportunity?  If so, then I will wallow in self-pity, stop moving forward and possibly get depressed.  The other option is to remember there is an abundance of opportunity and take the next step forward.

Can I to How Can I

We don’t remember what we were like when we were learning to walk, but I bet we had more of a growth mindset.  Think about it.  We probably did not fall down and then think “can I even do this walking thing?”  Of course not, we fell, cried or whined a little, and eventually got back up.

I remember watching my sons learn to walk and each wobbly step took them a little further.  They fell, maybe cried or not, and then got back up exemplifying the thought “how can I?”  They wanted to be like the big people around them.  When we have a goal worth pursuing we find solutions instead of focusing on the problem.  Growth is always saying “how can I?” and taking the next step.

Stretch to Grow

I used to be a strength and conditioning coach.  My role was to help the athletes get stronger, faster, and prevent injury.  One athlete I remember was very talented, but when it came time to push himself he would quit.

One day he was doing an exercise and missed the final rep.  I encouraged him to try one more time and he missed it again.  The first words out of his mouth were “I don’t care.”  That is a sign of a fixed mindset.  A person who was not willing to step out of his comfort zone to stretch and grow.  An athlete willing to stretch would have said “what can I do, coach?”  To grow we must get uncomfortable.  As we work through the discomfort we stretch and grow more into the leader we can become.

Which mindset do you most often have?  If you are stuck in a fixed mindset what is one way you can get out of your comfort zone today to grow?  Want a resource to help you with developing your growth mindset check out this digital resource developed by fellow Executive Director with the John Maxwell Team and retired Chief Master Sergeant Mike Lightner and myself on developing a growth mindset.  Lead Well.

© 2021 Wheeler Coaching Systems, All Rights Reserved

Posted by Randy Wheeler in Lead Yourself
03
Mar
2019

Is There Complacency in Your Leadership?

I was sitting at my desk preparing for the final session of a leadership mastermind with a group of people.  We were in the final chapter of John Maxwell’s book The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth and reading the section on why people become complacent.

I am not going to go into all the details of the chapter in this post, but something did jump out in his explanation of why people become complacent he said:

“They lose their innovative spirit.  They begin to think about being efficient instead of breaking ground.”

I read that and it hit me like a 2 x 4.

Before I made the jump into leadership development full-time, I was getting to a place in my former role that I was constantly hearing from others “be more efficient” and I was fairly efficient at what I did.  This thought is not necessarily the mindset of a leader, but of a manager.

What do you mean?  Doesn’t a leader want to be efficient?

Absolutely!

Let me make this simple.

Manage or Lead

When we manage, we are looking for effective and efficient processes and systems to do what we need to do with the least amount of effort.

When we lead we are inspiring and pointing toward a bigger picture.  We are often providing the “why” and trying to tap into everyone’s personal desires to align them with where we are trying to get the group to go.

Let me illustrate.  If I have a room of 100 individuals that I need on task such as in a gym class I must utilize both skills, but I could only manage if I want.  I can set the rules of the game or activity such as a fitness routine and set a timer.  Each person moves when the timer rings and everyone knows exactly what to do . . . kind of like controlled chaos.

In this situation the individuals may or may not be internally motivated.

Now if I also lead them I will set the intention for the day.  I will try to paint a picture of why this workout will help them reach their personal goals.  I am simply casting vision at this point.  To truly inspire them I must slow down and connect with them.  Now I am leading.

Leading Better

So how can we prevent complacency and lead others?

Get out of our comfort zone.  Leadership requires energy and effort because we must connect.  Leadership requires thinking creatively and for extended periods of time.  Neither of these are easy or comfortable.

Get around different people.  If we surround ourselves with people who think differently, then we will be stretched and challenged to grow.  If you are a black and white thinker, get some creative people around you and vice-versa.

Try something new.  Think of the first time you learned to do an activity.  You weren’t thinking about how to perform the skill efficiently.  You were focused on some level of success, so you didn’t look and feel foolish.  You weren’t bored, maybe frustrated, not bored.  You were growing and learning and excited and eventually as you persisted became effective and possibly even excelled at the skill.  As a leader continue to try new things and grow.

Do you feel stuck?  Which one of these three principles could help you to raise your leadership level and break new ground?  If you need help thinking into your results contact me and I will gladly come alongside you in the process.  In the meantime, lead well at work and home.

©2019 Wheeler Coaching, All Rights Reserved

Posted by Randy Wheeler in Lead Yourself