It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
Greetings to you!
Each week I send out a short leadership blog that's called "Tuesday at 2:00pm". The purpose of this is simply to provide a brief thought on leadership that you can read and think about in just a few minutes. I send it out every week at 2:00pm (PST) and encourage you to make an appointment with yourself to pause and think about the thing I'm writing about.
Russ...
LEADERSHIP QUOTE:
"It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." Sylvester Stallone
What does this stir up? Either write me HERE or comment at the end of the blog post HERE.
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:
We just finished a month long look at The Five Dysfunctions of a Team that you can read on the blog. I hope that during these weeks, it's triggered some things in you and your leadership. Again, one of my all-time favorite books.
I'm going to make a slight turn here, well, maybe a radical turn.
In 1976 a movie came out that my dad took me to. It was Rocky.
I had never seen a movie like that before but I remember it like it was yesterday. The movie was dark, it was about boxing (which I know nothing about), but it was inspiring! So inspiring that the morning after seeing that film as a 12 year-old, I ate my 5 raw eggs and committed to doing one-handed pushups every day. Of course that lasted about 2 days, but the impact was real.
Before I go on, some of you might be wondering why my dad would take a 12-year old to see that movie? Well, my dad and I are both easily inspired by sports dramas, we love the fight for survival, and we love a story that seems impossible but always turns out in the end. We suckers for that emotional ride, and I was hooked.
Rocky was a story of determination and someone overcoming impossible obstacles.
The reason this has come to mind is because Sylvester Stallone just published an autobiography called The Steps. It's basically his story of growing up and it leads up to his writing and pitching his film, Rocky. I started reading the book last week, then I switched to the AUDIBLE version because I wanted to hear his voice tell his story.
It's a rough story, but I'm learning that what was shared on the screen in his film Rocky was based on the challenges and hardships he faced growing up and trying to make it in the film business.
I'm not eating raw eggs again, but I'd love to spend some time talking about how determination is so important to our leadership. Yes, there are some prompts from the Rocky story, but what engaging with this story does for me is simply to remind me of why determination is so important to my leadership, to anyones leadership!
Back in 2001, my dad and I wrote a little book called The ABC's of Global Leadership. It's a simple curriculum going through 26 Qualities of a Leader using the ABC's. We've shared it in the Leader Mundial Communities and it's been translated into 9 different languages.
When we wrote this, we chose DETERMINED as a quality that every leader needs to have and continue to develop. We wrote these words...
"When we're not determined, we wonder.
When we're not determined, we get distracted.
When we're not determined, we don't finish well.
When we're not determined, we tire easily.
When we're not determined, we can't see clearly.
When we're not determined, we forget."
I believe these words are still true for us all.
Can you remember a time that sheer determination helped you get through a difficult time or season? What was that like to go through?
DEEPER STILL:
We can all grow in our DETERMINATION.
In the ABC book, we shared the story of the disciple Peter and the determination he needed to climb over the side of boat to get to Jesus who was walking on the water (Matthew 14). He knew that he wanted to be with Jesus and he wasn't going to let the fact that there was only water between the two of them stop him, so he took off to join Jesus.
This is a powerful illustration of determination, and I often ask myself had I been in that boat would I have been content to watch Peter have this incredible experience or would I have joined him? I like to think that I would have joined him, but I'm not sure. They were in the middle of a storm!
Sometimes we're in the middle of storms, and determination is what we need to get through. Here are some things I've learned over the years:
• My PURPOSE Drives My Determination Level
When I am crystal clear on where I'm going and why I'm doing what I'm doing, my determination level increases dramatically. I'm confident, I can see clearly, and I am focused. When things aren't so clear, I hesitate, I am cautious and I allow fear to paralyze me.
•My FAILURES Fuel My Forward Momentum
Failure is an opportunity to learn, to address issues and to refocus. I'm not afraid of failing, but I am afraid of avoiding anything risky. Some of the greatest lessons in my life have come from failure. Don't let failure define you.
•Bring OTHERS Along With Me
It's so much easier to be determined and focused when there are others with me on the journey. Being alone is hard, but knowing there are others who are helping, who are watching my back, who are cheering me on makes all the difference.
•Look for INSPIRATION From Others
It might be something "Rocky" said, or something I can learn from a book like Atomic Habits that keeps me going or an illustration from scripture like the story of Peter walking on the water. I am more determined when I'm surrounded by stories and examples of determination, and I hope that I then can inspire others! Pay attention to others around you.
Have you you learned that helps you with DETERMINATION?
Things I'm Reading, Listening To and Watching This Week:
Russ & Ron's ABC Book.
I tried this for the first time this past week while leading a leader through a LifePlan. I like the Cinnamon Crunch Flavors! Pop Corners.
We are hosting Tim Elmore here in Southern California on November 17th and we're holding a seminar that afternoon from his book, "The Future Begins with Z: Finding, Keeping and Leading Generation Z on Your Team". If you'd like to join us at Concordia University, here is the REGISTRATION LINK You can learn more about Tim at timelmore.com
I was in awe this week as our grandkids played with some of our kids Little Tike Toys. These things are 36 years old and our new grands love them like our kids did. Little Tike is still making quality toys that last!