ROCKY Archives - Wheeler Coaching Systems

I was sitting on the couch watching Rocky for the first time in a long time. This was the introduction of this iconic movie series to my children.

I don’t know if you remember or have even watched the movie, but there is a scene the night before the fight where Rocky walks around the ring. You can tell he is battling the voices of self-doubt. After returning from his walk he sits next to his girlfriend, future wife, Adrian.

In that moment he makes a decision as he contemplates the reality he was about to face the world champion. He tells Adrian he is going to do something no one else has ever done with the champ, Apollo Creed, he is going to go the distance. Rocky set in his mind that he was going to fight him to the final bell.

What does this have to do with leadership?

Everything!

I have heard people pose the question to me: do you buy you? As I think of Rocky in this movie three key principles of self-leadership come to mind.

Clear Vision. One of my mentors uses the phrase “hold your image” and this is a challenge to hold the image in your mind of where you see yourself. As a leader what is the vision you have of where you are going? Do you have a clear picture in your mind of what it looks like? I know a leader who over twenty-five years had a picture of what he wanted the organization he leads to look like and now twenty-five years later he gets the chance to see that image becoming a reality.
Persistence. We have a clear picture of where we want to be, but as another mentor of mine says: everything is uphill. Rocky had a once in a lifetime chance to contend for the heavyweight championship of the world and in the beginning he barely could complete his run, but he continued to train to the best of his ability and pressed on toward the goal. Why is the leader I know seeing his vision becoming reality, because he kept climbing even during the uphill battles when he was the only one who could see where they were headed.
Inspiration. Rocky had a team who inspired him. One of his biggest inspirations was the woman he loved. She believed in him and was by his side no matter what. He had a manager who stood beside him during practice and fortified his belief in himself through words he said to help Rocky see where he could be.

Where is it you want to go that you may not believe you can go? Who is in your corner to encourage and inspire you? Maybe there are people you know or people’s examples who inspire you like I am inspired by the fictional character Rocky or the words and stories of authors I do not know personally. Anything worth having is worth working for, so are you willing to persist toward your goal and pursue what might seem impossible right now? Rocky’s first step . . . he got up at 4 AM, drank a glass full of raw eggs and went for a long run. What is your first step in leading yourself today? Lead well friend.