Running... and Leadership

I try to be consistent in my efforts to become a strong runner. I've competed in several marathons, ultra-marathons and Ironman triathlon events but have never really considered myself a true “runner”. Maybe it’s because I have a brother who qualifies for Boston almost as easily as he ties up his Nike’s. Or maybe it’s because I have never felt that “runner high” that avid runners claim to crave and enjoy.

This fall, after a poor showing at a race, I re-motivated myself to become a “runner”. To do this, I sought out more difficult courses for training runs. One of these courses includes a hill by my house about a half mile long and about 20% in grade (a highway onramp is about 7%). It’s painful running this hill but this hill has taught me.   

FOCUS!

The hill teaches me Focus: A runner must focus consistently on technique, a critical component to a successful run.  Focus must be maintained for more than a few seconds or one hill, it must last across miles, and in some cases for hours. Many don’t think about running as something to be learned. But when technique gets sloppy efficiency diminishes, injuries occur, and overall performance suffers.

CONTROL! 

The hill teaches me Control: A runner must use control. When running this hill, charging too hard on the ascent will result in a shameful walk (or crawl) up the remainder of the hill and possibly throughout the remainder of your run. On the descent, allowing yourself to go too fast can injure your knees, hammer your quads and sap your energy.

These principles are easily applied to leadership.

Focus: Like proper technique for the runner, leaders have to be intensely focused on what they are doing and how it is impacting their overall objectives. This focus must be consistent. When leaders get sloppy meetings become diluted, objectives become murky and new projects creep in and threaten the strategic direction of the team/organization. This focus can’t only be for a meeting or for a day, it has to be constantly, maintained in good times and bad.

Control: Great leaders exercise control of their emotions, passions and expertise. When these things are not controlled, leaders can damage relationships, miss opportunities for innovation, praise, correction or communication around critical areas. A controlled leader is well positioned to help others accomplish their goals and reach new heights.   

As a bit of a bonus, and perhaps most importantly, this hill teaches and reminds me about responsibility. There is no excuse for the way I run a hill other than me. Sure there are rainy days and wind and cold but anyone who runs the hill will have to face those. They aren't inherent problems only for me. Some may tackle the hill almost effortlessly while others of us slog slowly up the hill mired by self doubt and aching muscles.  

But in the throes of suffering, the hill asks the most pointed questions that only I can answer. Did I get enough sleep? Am I eating/fueling right? Should I have eaten that 2^nd (and 3rd) donut? Have I stayed consistent enough to perform at a high level? Have I prepared enough, educated enough and sacrificed enough to tackle this hill and others? Are my physical abilities lacking or is it my mental toughness that fails me when things get hard? 

Only you will know the answers; but the hills can teach you.

Thankfully, I learned all at once these are just excuses for poor leadership.

If you have been in almost any type of management or leadership position, you have likely said or heard another leader say the following about an employee. "They don't want to be here", "They are so lazy" or the nails-on-a-chalkboard worst "I shouldn't have hired them". Early in my career as a leader, I had some of these same thoughts.

Thankfully I learned all at once these are just excuses for poor leadership.

I had an employee who was consistently underperforming. In spite of multiple warnings and written warnings his performance hadn't improved. Finally I moved through the HR process and submitted a request for termination. About the time I submitted the request for termination this employee came to me on a Monday morning and said "I realized this weekend that I would be foolish to not take advantage of the opportunity to be on this team and work for this company." I had heard similar affirmations before so I didn't believe this was any different. But over the next few weeks something amazing happened. This employee was more committed than ever before, and as a result was working harder and getting better results than he ever had. You can imagine how excited I was for him, and my team. But reality set in, and my request for termination was approved. I was told that since the request had been approved, the termination had to take place. I was surprised when my boss had me join him in his office to deliver the news to this employee that we were letting him go on the grounds of poor performance. We collected his belongings and walked him out of the building.

I had two career altering  learning moments from this experience.

First, I learned that when people connect what they do each day to a bigger picture, they are often unstoppable. This employee had connected his daily tasks, his job, to some vision for himself in the future. I didn't know at the time what that vision was or how he saw it fit, but I'm confident it had little to do with team or organizational goals and more with who he wanted to become, and what he wanted to accomplish in the coming months and years of his life.

Second, I learned that when making that critical decision to terminate someone, a leader should be very confident that they have done all they can do. In that moment where I sat across the table and watched this man lose his job at my request, all I could hear in my mind was "you didn't do all you could to help him succeed". While I did send emails, set expectations and have "hard conversations", I didn't spend enough time sitting with him to understand how he worked, practicing with him to fine tune his craft, or spending enough time helping him learn to be more efficient and effective by demonstration. Worst of all, I didn't take the time to understand what motivated him and how I could connect what he does on a daily basis to that vision.

Think about those who work for you, what gets them through the door in the morning? What do they see for themselves in 2, 5 or 10 years? How do the tasks you ask them to accomplish each day contribute to that vision they hold for themselves? How are you helping them to succeed? Are you committing adequate time to coaching, demonstrating efficient methods to complete critical tasks and facilitating successful experiences?

If you find the right answers to these questions, you are well on your way to helping your team realize success you have never imagined.