Growth – Page 5 – Grandpa Bob Encouraging Leadership

Riding motorcycles can be dangerous. Especially when riding through a rocky section of trail.

When I rode motorcycles (a long time ago), I was always amazed at the way certain riders were able to go through rocky sections so quickly, while others struggled just to survive.

Ask anyone who can fly through rocky sections how they do it, and you will usually get this answer: Focus on where you want to go, and don’t look at the rocks.

An amazing thing happens if you focus on the rocks. You inevitably run into them.

The same thing happens with potholes. The surest way to hit a pothole is to focus on it.

We all have rocks (or potholes) in our path. They will always be there. The best way to avoid them is to resist the temptation to look.

Which is harder, treading water for ten minutes, or swimming in a direction of your choice for ten minutes?

Have you ever tried to tread water for ten minutes? How about five minutes? It’s definitely easier to swim in a direction of your choice…and you get the added benefit of going somewhere.

I’ve had an opportunity to meet and work with a lot of people during my career. Many have had twenty, even thirty-plus, years of experience in their fields. Unfortunately, some of them have spent that time treading water in the status quo. Turns out they don’t have twenty (or thirty) years of experience. They really have twenty (or thirty) one-year experiences. Their experiences haven’t taken them, or their organization anywhere. It takes huge effort to tread water, and yet that is exactly what some choose to do in their misguided quest for job security, a feeling of control, or an overwhelming desire to avoid risk.

Leaders are usually the ones who choose to swim. They’re the ones who know there are risks, and understand they can’t control everything. They realize that real career security (which is much more valuable than job security) comes from constantly building on past experience and moving themselves and their organization in new directions.

Take a look at your relationships, your career, your hobbies, and pretty much anything you deem important. If you’re treading water, maybe it’s time to start swimming.