Keep that heart of yours healthy...

It was strange, almost cliché, when I heard myself say, "But... I was just riding with him two hours ago." 

The symbol for love, loyalty, compassion, and conviction, as well as character and fortitude, it is also the organ that pumps blood through your body for a lifetime — The heart it seems is something that embodies the human condition.

A dear friend of mine just had a heart attack, and although a little intense, he was in good shape, ate very well, didn't smoke, and watched his weight. He just didn't come across as a candidate.

Being a man of great heart, his family and friends rallied around the situation; we did what could to support him in his time of need. Modern medicine, the grace of god, and his will to live, had him "up and about" three days later, and as someone put it, "Holding court in one of the waiting rooms". Stabilization, diagnosis... and now the treatment; heart surgery for sure, although the details of what that will be are up in the air at the moment. He is a man of great heart, so I am most certain he will get through whatever is decided.

As I reflect on the situation (which it seems we all do in moments such as these), I can't help but ponder all those symbols that this fist sized organ embodies. The heart keeps us alive to be sure, but I think the aspects of our character, conviction, fortitude, compassion, and how we love, are the reflection of how we live.

My dear friend lives life large in my opinion, and when they finally do what they need to do, I look forward to seeing him. After all, we have some riding to do.

There but for the grace of god, go I.

iamgpe

At first I didn't understand it... but then I thought about it.

Recently I had a conversation with an engineer who owned a small business; our conversation was about having a road entrance widened to bring it up to code. Having an entrance up to code meant I could get a civic address, and then I could get building permits... I then could "build stuff" if I wanted to. All part of the process of creating something from nothing it seems, and a nice reminder you always have to start at the very beginning.

As we settled on final quotes and timeframes I happened to ask him how business was going; he went on to say it was going well, he continued to get more and more jobs, and he really didn't want to get big. As I listened to him my thought process went something like this... "Great, GREAT... WHAT?".

Wait a second, doesn't everyone want to start a business, grow it to be big and influential, make a bunch of money, and spend the rest of your life on easy street? It didn't seem to be the case for this particular business owner.

Days later I found myself reflecting on what he said and why he would say such a thing — Was it a result of not wanting the "headaches" that can come with a larger more complicated business? Maybe he was a great engineer but not really a good businessperson and didn't have the skills to run a bigger business? Maybe he wanted a good work-life balance and getting bigger would disrupt that balance? Maybe he loved what he was currently doing, and he knew a bigger company would take him away from what he loved to do?

Although I will probably never know the reason, I couldn't stop wondering about it; what's even more curious was it really wasn't any of my business. All that really mattered, and the only real concern for me, was that my new entrance would be "up to code". In the end there are reasons why he said what he said, and if it really mattered to my new entrance I would have asked what they were so I could better understand — Why he didn't want to get bigger really didn't matter to me and I didn't need to understand.

As I thought about this I was reminded that your objective determines your need to understand.

In this particular case, my objective was to secure someone who could widen my entrance up to code, and I needed to understand if he could do it... my objective was not to help him expand his business, so it really didn't matter if I understood why he said what he said. This became a nice reminder that objectives govern everything you do, and if you are doing something not in-line with your objective, you need to ask yourself why you are doing what you're doing — It definitely was worth spending the time thinking about it.

I am quite confident my new entrance will be up to code when he's finished. And that is all that matters.

iamgpe  

The first one through the wall...

I heard this said in a movie* once.

"The first one through the wall always gets bloody..."

This refers to the simple fact that when you are the first one to try something, run counter to what is currently accepted, or simply want to try to do something different, it can sometimes feel like you are attempting to crash through a wall. And when you have finally broken through that wall, you tend to be left exhausted, beaten up, and more often than not a little "bloody"... all figuratively speaking of course, although sometimes actual blood does get spilled. It also goes without saying that the people on the other side may not be so happy to see you.  

But how is this wall built... metaphorically speaking that is? That's actually an easy question to answer.

All you have to do is propose something... new idea, a new way of doing something, or fish instead of your regular Wednesday night cheese and bacon burger — Anytime you propose doing anything, a wall is instantly created.

Most of the time these walls are very small, insignificant and easy to crash through, sometimes they can be fairly tall and not so easy to get through, and every so often the wall is very, very high, and awfully thick. And although not scientifically validated, there is no doubt there's a correlation between how "different" the proposal is and how "high and thick" the wall will be. You probably already know what makes up this wall —

• The establishment saying it can't be done, or doesn't want it done.
• The fear of failure or the comfort with the status quo.
• People not prepared to invest the energy to make it happen. 
• A lack of understanding or desire to learn.
• Personal gains that do not want to be given up.
• A fear of change.
• The need to challenge and pressure check ideas to ensure they are the best they can be.
• Et Cetera...

Other than a nice metaphor and reference to a movie I like, there really is a point to all of this — Your "proposals" (and the metaphorical walls they create) are indicative of Leadership. Remember that by its very definition, "being first through the wall" means there will be a second, a third, et cetera to follow... and isn't that what Leadership is all about**. 

So the next time you say, "I propose we do this", remember that by definition you are building a wall, and the action you are taking to crash through is defining your leadership. Be bold, and crash through with abandon! 

There are people waiting to follow for sure.

iamgpe

* The movie is Moneyball and the quote comes from the owner of the Boston Red Sox as he is talking to Billy Beane. It's also a great book.

** Yes I know Leadership is a little bit more but this is only a 500 word blog, and I'm taking some artistic licence.