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Grow & Scale A Business That Will Set You Free
Embrace The F Word
What’s your relationship with the F word?
I’m talking about fun!
Because life should be fun.
Joy is your birthright.
But given the intensity of your life, given how many demands there are for your time, quality F doesn’t just happen.
It needs to be planned. It needs to be intentional.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke about it this way:
“Starting every year, before I booked anything, agreed to any meetings or conferences, we’d sit down with my assistant and we looked at our lives first,” Obama said. “We put potlucks in there, we put date nights in there, I put my workouts, we put our vacations on the calendar first, we put sports things and summers. We planned that out first, and then what was left would be left for work.”
Likely, you’re not busy running the household that runs the free world. Which means that you could approach your life this way too!
It begins by being mindful and intentional.
What do you value?
What matters most?
What will you regret not doing when the sands of your life have slipped through the glass?
Get clear on those things.
Then get them on the calendar.
Your health and wellness. The adventures and vacations. The date nights. The getaways. The magic moments.
Make appointments with yourself.
Then dial the work in around those things.
Not the other way around.
Because the sand will slip through the glass.
And there are no do-overs.
A Recreation Day
I objected to it. I railed against it. I didn’t want to do it.
It seemed wasteful. Lazy. Uninspired. Counterproductive.
Take a rest day. Who does that?
Turns out, a lot of (smart) folks do. I’ve joined the bandwagon.
Happily.
A rest day is not a foreign concept to me. It’s always been part of the rhythm of high-altitude mountaineering. There, long ago, I learned to relish those much-needed breaks in the action.
Carry a load up high and return to camp. Move the camp up. Take a rest.
Every three or four days, a rest. Read, write, sleep, talk. Be.
In mountaineering, I could understand the rationale: the altitude. Physiologically, the body can only move up a mountain at a specified rate. Stopping, and resting are necessary in order to acclimatize. Stopping has some utility!
But when we started our training for the ultramarathon, the rest days seemed wasteful. And counter-intuitive. How would we be able to push up the mileage significantly if every two or three days we weren’t moving?
Turns out the rest is an integral part of the training.
It’s when the frame recovers. And the muscles heal. And the emotions regroup. We mend.
It’s where the quantum leaps occur.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this as we head into summer. Those of us “A” types have such a propensity to drive ahead come hell or high water. Even our “vacations” are epics.
Sometimes it’s good just to kick back, relax, and just be.
Excellence demands that we take one whole day off each week for peak performance, leadership expert Robin Sharma suggests.
There is precedent in this for those who observe a sabbath. But rare is the observer who really stops.
Yet it is at this point that quantum leaps occur in our lives. It’s then that our spirits rest our creative souls renew and our resilience is restored. We mend.
It’s a very difficult principle to teach, especially in business. Time is money, and money is time; and all of that. Conventional wisdom has always suggested that the more hours we put in, the harder we work, the more we will produce and the higher our profit will be.
But just the opposite is really true. When we take the time to renew ourselves, we are more productive, more imaginative, more creative, and more flexible. Our vision of what is possible expands.
Often working not at all is the best work we can do.
Our creative work – the work of our hearts, the work of our souls – requires a sacred space in which to grow. Without activity or motion. A place of groundedness, of stillness, of stopping.
It is one of life’s great paradoxes: that in the stopping we can start anew.
Holy leisure, the Carmelite mystic William McNamara calls it. The time to recreate.
To re-create.
The opportunity to re-create is always yours.
All you need to do is stop.
Can you do it? Will you try?
The Rules For Starting Over
Starting over is hard.
Maybe you’ve been downsized; or you sold your business and now you’re bored; or your product launch tanked; or your business idea was a bust.
Maybe your portfolio was gutted by the market; or the relationship that you thought would last forever didn’t.
You want to start over. You need to start over.
But where do you begin?
You begin at the beginning.
Like when you first started out.
And yes, it sucks.
And will take a lot of time.
Two years ago, in the course of ramping up for an ultra-marathon, I suffered a running-related injury.
I couldn’t run.
For nearly a year, I didn’t run.
My baseline fitness level was being able to roll out of bed on any given Saturday morning and run 17 miles.
Not running left me discouraged, despondent, down, depressed, bereft. (Not to sugar-coat it.)
I’m back to running.
But it began with walking around the block; and then walking faster around the block; and then some light jogs in between the walking.
I can piece some miles together now.
Finally, I feel like a runner again.
But I needed to start over to get here.
And that meant small, slow, steady, consistent steps every day.
Yes, I hated it. But it feels so good to be back.
Regardless of where you are at, you can start again too.
Be Radical
Leaders are often pressured to adapt quickly and make rapid decisions. While agility and responsiveness are crucial, there is an underlying principle that is even more essential for effective leadership: groundedness. The word “radical” originates from the Latin word “radix,” meaning “root.” To be radical, in the truest sense, is to be deeply rooted and grounded. As leaders, your ability to inspire, motivate, and guide others hinges on your own groundedness, which in turn requires daily practices that nurture your emotional and physical well-being.
The Power of Being Grounded
Being grounded means being stable, centered, and connected to your core values and purpose. This inner stability allows you to navigate challenges with clarity and resilience. Grounded leaders exude a calm confidence that reassures their teams, even in turbulent times. They are less likely to be swayed by external pressures or fleeting trends because their actions and decisions are anchored in a deep understanding of their mission and values.
Groundedness fosters authenticity. When leaders are true to themselves and their principles, they build trust and credibility. Teams are more likely to follow a leader who is consistent, transparent, and genuine. Furthermore, grounded leaders are better equipped to handle stress and prevent burnout, which is vital for long-term effectiveness and sustainability in their roles.
Daily Practices for Staying Grounded
To achieve and maintain groundedness, you must adopt daily practices that support your emotional and physical well-being. Here are some key practices to consider:
1. Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness and meditation are powerful tools for cultivating groundedness. These practices will help you stay present, reduce stress, and enhance your emotional intelligence. Just a few minutes of mindfulness or meditation each day can lead to significant improvements in focus, decision-making, and overall mental health.
2. Physical Activity
Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining energy levels and reducing stress. Whether it’s a morning jog, yoga session, or a simple walk during lunch breaks, physical exercise helps clear the mind and strengthen the body. It also releases endorphins, which boost mood and overall sense of well-being.
3. Reflection and Journaling
Taking time to reflect on your experiences, thoughts, and feelings is crucial for self-awareness. Journaling can be a particularly effective method for this. By regularly writing down reflections, you can gain insights into their behaviors, recognize patterns, and align your actions with your core values and goals.
4. Healthy Eating and Hydration
Nutrition plays a significant role in our physical and emotional health. Prioritize a balanced diet rich in whole foods and stay hydrated throughout the day. Avoiding excessive caffeine and sugar can prevent energy crashes and maintain steady focus and productivity.
5. Quality Sleep
Sleep is foundational for cognitive function, emotional regulation, and overall health. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night. Establishing a consistent bedtime routine and creating a restful sleep environment can greatly enhance sleep quality.
6. Connection and Community
Human beings are inherently social creatures. Building and maintaining meaningful connections with others is vital for emotional well-being. Make time to connect with family, friends, and colleagues. Engaging in social activities and being part of a supportive community can provide a sense of belonging and reduce feelings of isolation.
Embracing Radical Leadership
By integrating these practices into daily routines, you can cultivate the groundedness necessary for radical leadership. This approach not only enhances your own well-being but also positively impacts your team and your organization. Grounded leaders are better equipped to inspire trust, navigate challenges, and drive sustainable success.
The journey to becoming a radical leader begins with rooting yourself in practices that nurture emotional and physical well-being. By staying grounded, you can remain steadfast in your purpose, lead with authenticity, and create a lasting, positive impact on your organization and the people you serve. Embrace the radical path of groundedness and witness the transformative power it brings to your leadership… and to the world.
It Will Hit The Fan
It happens all the time.
Things go wrong.
The car breaks down; the power fails; and the basement floods.
Your key employee gets sick; the copier breaks; and your computers are hacked.
What will you do?
Do you know?
Because here’s the truth: things will go wrong. The shit will hit the fan.
Finland has a government commission. Its job is to imagine everything that could go wrong. It meets once a month and prepares for the imagined disaster: chemical spills; fuel shortages; power grid failures; and natural disasters of all shapes and sizes.
Fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and blizzards happen with some regularity. Yet many countries, communities, and businesses are blindsided. Again and again.
Ann and I are Wilderness First Responders. Every two years, we re-certify our training. Because when we’re out in the backcountry, deep in the wilderness, high on a mountain, the consequences of not knowing what to do when things go wrong are pretty significant.
We imagine scenarios and talk through how we’ll handle them. We keep a robust med kit in our backpacks and in the car.
In business, we know that the computers will go down, the internet will get wonky, the websites will get corrupted, that the SaaS will go bump in the night.
Do we like it when it happens?
Of course not.
It may throw us off our game. But it doesn’t shock us.
Because we’ve got a plan; and a process.
Because shit happens.
What can you imagine might go wrong in your biz?
What can you do to get ready?
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Growing and scaling a business means creating systems and processes that not only will make your day-to-day life much easier, but also creating systems and processes that will allow you to be prepared for when things go wrong. We can help. We have an extraordinary team of businesses coaches. Email me: [email protected]
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