— Executive Aid Station —
Bobbie LaPorte & Associates
January 2022
Like the aid stations that help athletes make it through an endurance race, this Executive Aid Station is a place for you to take a brief respite from your busy day, reflect, and learn something new to help fuel your personal and professional success.
Hope your holidays were very happy and that 2022 is off to a good start for you!
HERE COME THE CURVEBALLS…
Hardback, paperback and e-book versions of When the Curveballs Keep Coming: A Leadership Playbook for an Uncertain World are now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Business Update: Getting to “I Got This.”
Welcome to 2022! Or is it March of 2020 all over again?
It definitely feels like that, doesn’t it? In every client conversation I’ve had since the holidays, I hear that leaders feel tired and lack focus. They’re not sure how to “get going” in the new year—or how to inspire their teams to do the same.
Sound familiar? If it does, you are not alone. While we may have hoped, wished, and dreamed that THIS new year would finally bring a respite from COVID along with new energy and resolve, it just feels like déjà vu all over again. Like this is a condition we are going to live with—permanently.
You may not want to hear this, but it’s time to stop hitting the pause button, waiting for certainty to return. Instead, make uncertainty part of your success strategy for 2022.
I understand how tempting it can be to hesitate when you’re facing the unknown and have no idea how to respond and proceed. Throughout my Ironman racing career, I have had to learn to embrace uncertainty. There is a saying we have when training for an Ironman race (which is 140.6 human-powered...
Training Update: Getting “Unstuck” from the January Doldrums
In my Business Update, I laid out the case for getting “unstuck” and making progress any way you can. And that applies to my training, too. I’ve been struggling with getting back on track—and with two Ironman races on my schedule before the end of July, that’s not good.
I can say it’s the “blah” feeling many of us are experiencing after a holiday season that was neither restful nor worry-free. Or I could blame the colder weather and dark mornings that make it so easy to sleep in, especially here in Tahoe where we’ve had six feet of snow, icy roads, and wind chill factor in the teens.
But those would all be excuses, not legitimate reasons to stall. I have to stop waiting for the perfect combinations of conditions and mojo to get me going.
So this morning, I broke out my cold-weather running gear that has been sitting in the bureau drawer. I found a hat and pair of gloves, laced up my running shoes, and headed down the street.
It wasn’t my best workout for sure, but I used my personal agency and resolve to NOT let imperfect, uncertain conditions keep me on the sidelines.
— Insights —
Podcast Preview
I introduced you to Dr. Greg Ketchum in the last EAS issue. Dr. Greg is a workplace psychologist who blends his knowledge of human behavior, the contemporary workplace, and a sharp wit to produce his very practical and entertaining podcasts. Recently I had the pleasure of being a guest on his “Coach on Demand” podcast, and I had a blast during our visit. We talked about how uncertainty has always been a part of our world—but how COVID has now made uncertainty a permanent, unrelenting worldwide fixture. Despite how much we may dislike it, we as leaders need to learn how to not only accept uncertainty—but truly embrace it and the new possibilities it brings.
What I'm Reading
When the Curveballs Keep Coming: A Leadership Playbook for Uncertain World
Pardon the shameless plug, but having spent more than a year working on my first book, I’m just really excited to finally share it with the world! Not surprisingly, the whole publishing process involved more than a few curveballs along the way. But I’m thrilled to announce that the hardback version is now finally available (in addition to paperback and e-book versions) on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at other select booksellers.
Visit the book landing page on my website to download Chapter One for free or learn more about corporate bulk discounts. Please help spread the word to any leaders you think may be interested in getting some practical tips and science-based solutions for navigating through these challenging times.
Leadership Tip: The Power of the Pause
If you follow my work, you’ve heard me speak often about getting off “autopilot” to give ourselves time, space, and perspective to see what’s possible. In support of this intention, I often refer to this well-known quote from Austrian neurologist, author and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl:
“Between stimulus and response lies a space. In that space lie our freedom and power to choose a response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.”
I know that taking time before you respond is often easier said than done; it does take intention and practice. But even the brief pause between being hit by a curveball and reacting can provide time for you to consider different ways to respond and see the situation as an opportunity. By taking that moment, you may even go from saying: “Oh crap” to “Oh wow—I got this.”
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