Leadership

Two Thoughts I Had As I Was About To Throw Up…

Dec 18, 2008

As many of you know…I recently hired a personal trainer to help me take it to the next level in my workouts.

This past Monday was, by far, one of the toughest workouts I’ve ever been put through; in fact, I nearly projectile vomitted all over the place (BUT…I didn’t tell him, didn’t want him to let up!)

In between the box squats and the rowing machine from the pit of hell I had the following two thoughts in regards to personal training and leadership…and what they have in common.

#1 - It Costs Something To Go To The Next Level.  

I’ve had people make the comment to me when hearing that I made the investment in personal training that they would “never” waste money on something like that…and it showed!

Sure, you can “train” on your own…and you can see some improvements in doing that; however, if you want to see what you’ve really got…it often takes someone pushing you past the limits you thought had always existed.

That is true in training…and it’s true in leadership.  There are things we can do as leaders to grow and stretch ourselves…but if we REALLY want to excel in leading we need to be willing to pay the price…

IN THE TIME category…it takes time to develop our leadership abilities…PLANNED out time.  I have discovered that if I do not set aside time for sharpening my leadership…then it will not happen.

IN THE MONEY category…it costs money to grow.  We have to be willing to invest in books.  We need to be willing to travel to conferences.  We need to be willing to pay whatever the price to sharpen ourselves as leaders.

#2 - You Can’t Cheat If You Want To Go To The Next Level. 

As I was doing my next to last set of lunges my trainer asked me if I was okay.  (I think I might have been turning green by this point!)

NOW…I could have lied and told him that I simply could not do anymore.  AND…that would have been the easy way out.  When it came right down to it…I am the only one who really knew the truth.

BUT…the thought hit my mind, “Why in the heck would I want to lie.  I am only going to get out of this what I put into it,” and then I BLASTED through several more reps (and then crawled to my car!)

As a leader…I am the one who has to be willing to admit when something is or is not right with me personally.  I can read books and go to conferences…but if I do not take the time afterwards to process through the information…all I become is a consumer and not actually a learner.

Those are just two thoughts I had…don’t know if they make a lot of sense…but they took my mind off the pain for a while!  :-)