Category Archives: Challenges

The greatest challenge you face

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“The greatest challenge you face will probably not be the technical side of your job (your expertise), but rather interacting with other people.”

—Shirley Tayor, American author and Speaker

Photo from bolderlogic.com

Photo from bolderlogic.com

Over the years I have had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients. Here in southeast Michigan a sizable percentage of our economy is somewhat dependent on the automotive industry.

A fairly common assignment is to support the growth and development of up-and-coming leaders and managers. These assignments almost always include a focus on the softer skill of interpersonal communication, so important to producing greater results within and outside the organization.

It is for this reason than many experts in the fields of talent management, organizational development, and executive coaching insist that EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is at least as important as IQ and technical expertise.

EXERCISE:

Assess yourself and those you work with regarding the technical and soft skills necessary to work optimally. Consider training and/or coaching to support yourself and others to maximize these important attributes.

Life is like a ten-speed bicycle…”

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“Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.”

—Charles Schulz, American cartoonist, creator of ‘Peanuts’

Photo from Flickr by Glory Cycles

Photo from Flickr by Glory Cycles

Have you ever ridden a 10-speed bike? What did you experience as you proceeded through the gears? When you were in first gear, how easy was it to pedal? How fast could you go? As you moved through gears 2-5, what effort was required, and what speed was possible?

How often did you use gears beyond #5? How often did you exert the required effort, and how comfortable, exhilarated, or even terrified were you?

EXERCISE:

What gear are you in most often as you travel your personal and professional roads? Notice the terrain, including the twists and turns, the hills and valleys along the way.
What gears will be called for if you wish to climb higher mountains or reach your destination in record time?

If you haven’t tried it, consider attending a spinning class at the local gym, and be open to the instructor pushing you beyond your normal limits.

“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”

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“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”

– Confucius, Chinese philosopher

574Image from Flickr by jurvetson.

Consider yourself a pebble of charcoal when you were born. Over the years, the countless tests and challenges you faced put you under varying degrees of stress and pressure. Under the right conditions, Mother Nature can transform this pebble of charcoal into a brilliant and precious diamond.

Exercise:

What life strategies do you need to develop and master to manage life’s considerable stresses, to bring out your personal brilliance?

“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.”

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“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.”

– Publilius Syrus, Roman writer

491Image from Flickr by Hammerin Man.

Who are some of the people you most admire in your personal and professional life? Which of their qualities make them stand out as people whose ship you’d sail upon?

Below is a short list of qualities to consider:

  • Leadership
  • Courage
  • Fortitude
  • Boldness
  • Passion
  • Integrity
  • Honor

Exercise:

What qualities would you add that represent the “right stuff” to help us navigate the rougher seas of life?

Where might you benefit from some extra sailing lessons, so that others would put you on their list of admirable individuals?

“No-one would ever have crossed the ocean if he could have gotten off the ship in the storm.”

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“No-one would ever have crossed the ocean if he could have gotten off the ship in the storm.”

—Charles Kettering, former head of research at General Motors

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Image from Flickr by ErgSap

Virtually no-one I’ve ever met has had a life of smooth sailing. Just think about the life storms that you’ve faced over the years. If you are reading this post, you must have weathered things reasonably well.

Consider life’s challenges as tests to you, as a sailor of life’s seas, to cross your own personal and professional oceans. If you get off the ship too early, you have literally missed the ride of your life!

Exercise:

Select at least one personal and one professional ocean you intend to navigate in the year ahead. What preparations can you make for stormy weather?

“To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.”

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“To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.”

– A Chinese proverb

As a coach, one of the common projects I help people with is starting a new business.

Approximately 80% of business efforts fail in the first five years. Starting a business can be both an exciting and scary time. Thoughts such as “What if this happens..?” “I don’t know how to …” and general fears of the unknown often cause lots of false starts and second-guessing.

The good news is that few new ventures are without examples of people who’ve been there and done that.

Exercise:

Do your homework well before you jump into the deep end, and study the efforts and outcomes of others who’ve gone before you. This way, you can take the good and leave the bad on your journey.

To dramatically improve your odds, I strongly suggest you seek the support of mentors, coaches and supporters with a track record of success.

“The older I get the less I listen to what people say and the more I look at what they do.”

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“The older I get the less I listen to what people say and the more I look at what they do.”

– Andrew Carnegie, 19th century industrialist

Carnegie is famous for wealth creation in the steel industry in the late 1800s, for his extraordinary philanthropic pursuits, and for his interest in education. He was obviously a believer in the fact that talk is cheap and that actions speak louder than words.

One of the statements that I ask my clients to explore prior to beginning a coaching relationship is, “I am known for my courage, integrity, loyalty and work ethic.” This helps us consider the evidence these individuals have for being people of action and not simply of words. Since coaching is all about breaking patterns and taking new and different actions, this quality is critical to success.

Exercise:

On a scale of 1 – 10 (where 1 = low, 10 = high), how would you rate yourself as a person who truly “walks the talk”?

What will it take to increase your score at least two points – even if this gives you an 11?

better than myself

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“I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.”

– Mikhail Baryshnikov, Russian ballet dancer

Image from awanderingjewess.com

Image from awanderingjewess.com

If you have ever seen Mikhail Baryshnikov dance, you know just how brilliant he has been over the years. If you haven’t, I suggest you Google him and check out some video clips of his mastery.

Consider that your own life is a dance, where all that is required is to keep mastering your own professional and personal steps. These steps are within your control, and they allow you to express yourself fully and authentically.

Exercise:

During this new year, what will your personal continuous improvement program include?

As you establish your goals, include the measurable results and action steps you will take. How will you turn these action steps into sustainable habits that will get you there? Just think of it as dancing your way to a better you.

“Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.”

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“Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.”

– African proverb

Where we fall and where we slip are often not the same place. Slipping always occurs before the fall – and therefore happens at a place where there may be something we can do to potentially prevent the fall.

Consider the following:

  • Sensing through a body gesture or the tone of someone’s voice that an important conversation is headed to an icy patch.
  • You step onto the bathroom scale, or your last physical provides you feedback that your health is headed in an undesirable direction.

Exercise:

What clues is your world sending you daily that indicate a fall may be coming?
How can you learn to avoid the slippery patches in the first place?

Our Greatest Glory

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“Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson

Image from www.imdb.com

Image from www.imdb.com

One of my favorite movies of all time is Rudy,  in which the main character is a small and very feisty football player with a passion for the University of Notre Dame. Through dogged determination, persistence, and a tenacity rarely seen, he takes quite a beating by being a veritable practice dummy for the first team – and eventually rises to glory in the final hours.

Exercise:

What are your passions and commitments to which you give your all, no matter how often you fall?

What inspiring “Rudy” stories have you participated in or observed?

What stories are yet to be written, in which you will experience future glorious moments?